Epernicus: Imad Ajjawi, Ph.D.

Imad Ajjawi, Ph.D.

Positions:
scientist

Gene Discovery

Renewable Fuels and Chemicals

Synthetic Genomics Inc.

Post Doctoral Fellow

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
Advisor:
Rob L Last
Degrees:

Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Reno (Reno, NV)

B.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Reno (Reno, NV), Saint Louis University (Saint Louis, MO)
Past Advisors:

David Shintani (as Graduate Student - Ph.D.)
Research:
Vitamin B1 biosynthesis, Rubber biosynthesis, Chloroplast functional genomics, Renewable Fuels and Chemicals

I got my PhD in Biochemistry from David Shintani's lab in 2006. I specialized in vitamin B1 and rubber biosynthesis in plants.

In 2007 I joined Rob Last's lab as a post-doctoral researcher and worked on the Chloroplast 2010 project - a functional genomics platform (www.plastid.msu.edu). My main focus was on the fatty acid screen and I published several papers on mutants with altered fatty acid profiles.

I currently work at Synthetic Genomics largely thanks to my experience with photosynthetic organisms, lipid metabolism and systems biology.

Communities:

Imad Ajjawi's Genealogy

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Imad Ajjawi's Publications (8)

A J-like protein influences fatty acid composition of chloroplast lipids in Arabidopsis.
Ajjawi I, Coku A, Froehlich JE, Yang Y, Osteryoung KW, Benning C, Last RL

PloS one. 2011;6(10):e25368
Large-scale reverse genetics in Arabidopsis: case studies from the Chloroplast 2010 Project.
Ajjawi I, Lu Y, Savage LJ, Bell SM, Last RL

Plant physiology. 2010 Feb;152(2):529-40
Identification of metabolic bottlenecks in thiamin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis
Imad Ajjawi, Y Tsegaye , D Shintani

Submitted. 2010
FATTY ACID DESATURASE4 of Arabidopsis encodes a protein distinct from characterized fatty acid desaturases.
Gao J, Ajjawi I, Manoli A, Sawin A, Xu C, Froehlich JE, Last RL, Benning C

The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology. 2009 Dec;60(5):832-9
New connections across pathways and cellular processes: industrialized mutant screening reveals novel associations between diverse phenotypes in Arabidopsis.
Lu Y, Savage LJ, Ajjawi I, Imre KM, Yoder DW, Benning C, Dellapenna D, Ohlrogge JB, Osteryoung KW, Weber AP, Wilkerson CG, Last RL

Plant physiology. 2008 Apr;146(4):1482-500
Thiamin pyrophosphokinase is required for thiamin cofactor activation in Arabidopsis.
Ajjawi I, Rodriguez Milla MA, Cushman J, Shintani DK

Plant molecular biology. 2007 Sep;65(1-2):151-62
Determination of the genetic, molecular, and biochemical basis of the Arabidopsis thaliana thiamin auxotroph th1.
Ajjawi I, Tsegaye Y, Shintani D

Archives of biochemistry and biophysics. 2007 Mar 1;459(1):107-14
Engineered plants with elevated vitamin E: a nutraceutical success story.
Ajjawi I, Shintani D

Trends in biotechnology. 2004 Mar;22(3):104-7

Imad Ajjawi's Posters and Presentations (5)

Characterization and identification of the elusive FATTY ACID DESATURASE 4 (poster)
Imad Ajjawi, Gao J, Froehlich J, Xu C, Benning C, Last R

9th IPMB Congress; 10/2009
Matrix genetics: The Chloroplast 2010 Project (presentation)
Imad Ajjawi

Monsanto Co; 10/2009
Reverse genetic analysis of rubber related genes in transgenic Russian dandelion. (presentation)
Imad Ajjawi, Taban H, Shintani D

USDA-ARS; 02/2005
Thiamin pyrophosphokinase: An essential enzyme in thiamin metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. (presentation)
Imad Ajjawi & Shintani D

Western section of ASPB; 10/2004
A reverse genetic approach to functionally identify plant rubber biosynthetic genes (presentation)
Imad Ajjawi

Western section of ASPB; 10/2003

One Figure

Arabidopsis vitamin B1 auxotrophs

Websites

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