Ratnakar Vallabhaneni

TL;DR: It is shown that variation at the lycopene epsilon cyclase (lcyE) locus alters flux down α-carotene versus β-Carotene branches of the carotenoid pathway, which will enable developing-country breeders to more effectively produce maize grain with higher provitamin A levels.

TL;DR: The results suggest that PSY 3 expression influences root carotenogenesis and defines a potential bottleneck upstream of NCED; further examination of PSY3 in the grasses is of value for better understanding root-specific stress responses that impact plant yield.

TL;DR: Carotenoids are essential for photosynthesis and photoprotection; they also serve as precursors to signaling molecules that influence plant development and biotic/abiotic stress responses and are targets for metabolic breeding/engineering, particularly in the Poaceae family, which includes the major food crops.

TL;DR: Maize carotenogenesis was investigated using a novel approach to discover genes encoding limiting biosynthetic steps in the nutritionally targeted seed endosperm, and multiple pathway bottlenecks for isoprenoid biosynthesis andCarotenoids biosynthesis were discovered in specific temporal windows of endos sperm development.

TL;DR: A comprehensive transcriptional analysis of individual carotenoid and isoprenoid-related biosynthesis pathway genes was performed in order to elucidate the role of transcriptional regulation in the coordinated synthesis of these compounds and to identify regulatory components that may mediate this process in Arabidopsis thaliana.