39486 Summer Studentship "Engineering Pigment Production In Blueberries" - Plant & Food Research

Description
Plant & Food Research (PFR) is a New Zealand science company delivering research and development designed to grow competitive advantage for clients in the horticulture, wine, cropping, seafood and associated high value food sectors worldwide. With over 40-years' investment in fruit breeding programmes, a range of successful cultivars have been commercialised to date in crops such as kiwifruit, apple, and blueberry.
Our summer studentship programme creates a special "career experience" for high calibre candidates. Our unique programme includes a full induction training day, a career planning session identifying potential pathways, a specific project - designed for you, as well as a final farewell and awards function.
Cultivated blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are regarded as superfoods and one of the richest dietary sources of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are red-blue flavonoid pigments derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway and have been linked to health benefits in numerous studies. It is often overlooked, however, that anthocyanins and related flavonoids accumulate only in blueberry skin, leaving the bulk of the fruit, the flesh, devoid of these compounds. Filling this space with the right suite of flavonoid pigments has potential to create a new berry with enhanced health benefits. Gene expression analyses suggest the downregulation of three enzymes as primary bottlenecks for flavonoid and consequently anthocyanin limitation. Is it possible to remove those bottlenecks by increasing enzyme activity and consequently substrate availability? To test this hypothesis we will transiently overexpress candidate genes in fruit individually and in combination. This study will help answering the following questions:
Is it possible to modify anthocyanin production in berries using rapid in-vivo transient expression system?
Can this be achieved by altering a single enzyme of the pathway?
If multiple steps are required, which are the key drivers for engineering anthocyanin production?
Duties and learning outcomes
This summer studentship will provide hands-on lab experience over multiple cutting-edge technologies. The student will help with cloning and expression of candidate genes in planta. Besides molecular biology techniques, HPLC and LC-MS will be applied to characterise genes and effects on fruit anthocyanins. The student will develop capability in metabolite and nucleic acids extraction, PCR, cloning, gene expression, HPLC and learn how to use Chromeleon software.
Criteria for the Position
The ideal candidate will either have experience or interest in developing techniques in molecular
biology and analytical chemistry. The candidate will currently study Plant Science or a related
discipline and be keen to develop their career to support New Zealand's horticultural industry.
Curiosity, independence and perseverance are essential as the candidate will be required to
work under limited supervision once trained.