“A journey through the metabolic pathways to plant volatile emission” - Natalia Dudareva

Natalia Dudareva
Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Purdue University

Area of Expertise: Plant Molecular Biology

Current Research Interests: Floral scent is very important for successful pollination and therefore fruit development of many plant species. The objective of our research is to understand the molecular mechanisms of floral scent formations in plants. To achieve this goal, biochemical, genetic, and molecular approaches are used to identify the pathways, enzymes and genes involved in the production of scent volatiles. Current projects include: (1) the isolation and molecular characterization of genes encoding enzymes of biosynthetic pathways involved in the synthesis of volatile esters and (2) regulation of floral scent production during flower development.