Recognizing The Plant Cell first authors: Soon Goo Lee

Soon Goo Lee, co-first author of Molecular Basis of the Evolution of Methylthioalkylmalate Synthase and Diversity of Methionine-Derived Glucosinolates

Current Position: Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Education: Ph.D. (Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA)

Non-scientific Interests: Playing soccer with my boys

Brief bio: The main goal of my research is to understand the molecular basis of how enzymes, regulatory proteins, and key signaling molecules function in a variety of metabolic pathways and regulatory networks using biochemical research tools, especially protein X-ray crystallography. As an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, I have incorporated a diverse set of experimental approaches to solve unanswered questions about the biological roles of proteins in plants and microorganisms. My laboratory uses the ‘Genomic identification – Structure-based functional study – Protein/Metabolic engineering’ strategies to understand and engineer proteins (i) in the plant and microbial metabolic pathways for the production of secondary metabolites and (ii) in plant-microbe interactions in the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas. I believe that our work on the production of secondary metabolites and plant-microbe interactions will increase the nutritional and pharmaceutical value of plants for human health and environmental sustainability.