Design and evaluation of new environmentally-benign herbicides that inhibit branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis. Herbicides interfere with processes that occur in plants, such as photosynthesis or the biosynthesis of certain amino acids. In this project we will focus on branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, designing and evaluating inhibitors of the first two enzymes in this process. Based on their three dimensional structures we will develop an understanding of the molecular features that ....Design and evaluation of new environmentally-benign herbicides that inhibit branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis. Herbicides interfere with processes that occur in plants, such as photosynthesis or the biosynthesis of certain amino acids. In this project we will focus on branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, designing and evaluating inhibitors of the first two enzymes in this process. Based on their three dimensional structures we will develop an understanding of the molecular features that contribute to a potent inhibitor and those that are required for it to be effective upon plants. Using this information we will design and synthesis new compounds as potential environmentally-benign herbicides.Read moreRead less