Dean DellaPenna
Professor
- B.S. 1984, Ohio University
- PhD 1987, UC-Davis, California
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, 1998, UC-Davis
- Visiting Scientist/Lecturer, Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1989 Auckland, New Zealand 1989
- McKnight Postdoctoral Fellow, 1989-90, Washington State University
- Assistant Professor, 1990-95, University of Arizona
- Associate Professor, 1996-99, University of Nevada
- Associate Professor, 2000-02, Michigan State University
- Professor, 2002-present, Michigan State University
- Distinguished Faculty Award, 2008, MSU College of Natural Science
dellapen@msu.edu
201A Biochemistry Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1319
Office: 517-517-432-9284
Lab: 517-432-9283
Lab Members
Publication search:
Dean DellaPenna Research Interests
A central theme of my research is to further understand biochemical processes of importance to basic plant biology, agriculture and the human condition. The research topics and programs in my laboratory are centered in a general sense on the metabolism and function of plastids, as they are to my mind what make plants unique. Current research areas include the synthesis and function of the plastid- localized isoprenoids tocopherols and carotenoids, the use of natural variation to understand the genetic and biochemical basis of mineral bioavailability from plant foods, the regulation and integration of primary plant metabolism, and systems level analysis of plastid function. While most of my core research continues to be performed in model systems such as Arabidopsis, Synechocystis PCC6803 and E. coli, because the pathways and compounds we study are conserved across plants there is direct relevance to all photosynthetic organisms, including agricultural crops. As a result, during the past several years I have been engaged in a very broad sense in furthering the profile and funding of research at the interface of plant biochemistry and human health.
Full text of research interests