Integrative Biology 425 - Plant Secondary Metabolism
Announcements

This class will be taught in Fall 2008

The text for this semester will be "Plant Secondary Metabolites" edited by A. Crozier, M. N. Clifford, and H. Ashihara, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2006. A second book "Medicinal Natural Products", 2nd Ed., by P. M. DeWick, John Wiley, Chichester, may provide useful complementary information.

I also plan to draw materials from a series of articles in Phytochemistry Vol. 68. (mainly dealing with phenolic compounds) and from the Plant Journal, Vol. 54. (mainly dealing with biofuels and biomaterials, but reviewing many aspects of plant metabolite biosynthesis).

This course will provide an introduction to the study of plant secondary metabolism. The biogenesis or biosynthesis of major structural types of plant secondary metabolites and major patterns of distribution among organisms, especially plants, will be examined. For each of these groups of compounds possible biological functions (such as their role in biological interactions) will be discussed. References to pertinent literature concerning these subjects, as well as techniques for isolation, purification, characterization, relevant organic chemistry, molecular biology, toxicity, medicinal uses, and economic importance will be supplied.

The lecture outlines may be found at: http://www.life.uiuc.edu/ib/425/. To access some of the images it will be necessary to type in passwords. I will be updating this material during the semester. Any corrections or suggestions for improvement will be appreciated.

There will be three exams. The first two hourly exams will be mostly non-cumulative and each will count 20% of the final grade. The final exam will emphasize the material for the last one third of the course, but will include some material from throughout the course. The final exam will count 30% of the final grade. A series of ten homework problem sheets will account for the remaining 10% of your course grade.

A paper dealing with some aspect of plant secondary metabolism is required. Although the student may select a topic of personal interest, it will be desirable to discuss the topic with the instructor before preparing the paper. This paper will count 20% of the final grade. Most good papers in the past have been between 10-20 pages, but emphasis will be on the quality and presentation of the material, not on length. Care should be taken to choose a topic that can be critically reviewed in a paper of that length. The discussion should transcend simple listing and summary of all known literature on a particular subject. Careful analysis and synthesis from such data as are available is necessary. Papers must be typed and pages numbered. Please submit your paper as a Word or Word Perfect document as an e-mail attachment and be sure to keep an original copy.

Should any problems arise, please don't hesitate to contact me. My office is 633B Morrill Hall (phone 217-333-7577, e-mail seigler@life.uiuc.edu). Although I am willing to consult at most hours during the day, it is probably a good idea to call first to be sure I'm in and available. If you have difficulties reaching me, you can leave a message on my answering machine, or at the Plant Biology departmental office (333-1260).

Images for Jim Kramer:

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