Ms Jana Botes

I am currently working on my PhD project entitled "Multi-omics characterisation of flavonoid biosynthesis genes involved in Greyiamedicinal activity and pigmentation", which involves assembling and annotating a genome for a near-endemic Greyiaspecies, identifying the full set of flavonoid genes present in this genus, determining which subset of these genes are important in anti-tyrosinase activity of leaf tissues, solving the molecular basis of the rare white-flowering phenotype present in two of the species, and validating the impact of the identified mutation. This genus is of research interest due to the anti-tyrosinase activity of its ethanolic leaf extracts, which poses a potential alternative treatment for skin hyperpigmentation. This activity has been attributed to a flavonoid, but variability in activity has complicated commercialisation. This project will hopefully shed light on the nature of this variability through providing knowledge on the underlying genetics of the pathway. Additionally, transcriptomic analysis of the white-flowering mutant revealed a missense mutation in the well-characterised gene, which has not previously been implicated in loss of enzymatic function. Analysing the impact of this mutation will therefore increase our understanding of LDOX and other 2-oxoglutarate dependent oxidoreductases.