It is difficult to evaluate the functions of auxin and the biosynthesis pathways of indole-3-acetic acid using genetic approaches; chemical genetics is an alternative method. Here we show that L-α-aminooxy-phenylpropionic acid (AOPP), an inhibitor of auxin biosynthesis, targets tryptophan aminotransferase. We synthesized novel compounds derived from AOPP to study the structure–activity relationships of inhibitors of tryptophan aminotransferase in vitro, and identified some that were more potent, and more specific, in inhibiting auxin levels. We designate these compounds ‘pyruvamines’.

RNase P removes 5′ leader sequences of tRNA precursors. Here we demonstrate that Chlamydomonas has a single RNase P gene whose gene product acts in the chloroplast, mitochondria and the nucleus, thus contradicting the dogma that different RNase P systems act in each of these cellular compartments.

In plants, pathways for specialized metabolites are sometimes encoded by operon-like gene clusters. Here were use comparative genomics and biochemical studies in rice species to provide an evolutionary insight the mechanisms of formation of gene clusters encoding diterpene phytoalexins.

Imprinted Polycomb group genes play a critical role in seed development in Arabidopsis, but the roles of imprinted genes in cereals remain obscure. Here, we characterize a rice endosperm-specific Polycomb group gene OsFIE1, which influences transcription factor expression and nutrient metabolism in rice.

Cacao and its popular product, chocolate, have potential health benefits, with metabolites with anti-oxidant and anti-depressant effects, and which inhibit platelet aggregation and obesity-dependent insulin resistance. Here we used proteomics and metabolomics to investigate cacao seed ripening and thus elucidate the underlying developmental controls of these biochemical processes.