Office of University Communications 

Missouri State, Danforth Center collaborate on grape plant research

Project funded by the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund to improve grape varieties

SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Leaders from Missouri State University and the St. Louis-based Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have found ways to genetically enhance grape plants for resistance to fungal diseases and are unlocking the health benefits of the polyphenols found in grapes thanks to research funding from the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund.

“We appreciate the commitment of our state legislators to fund the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund. Improved plant and life science research will foster new business development for our state,” said Dr. James P. Baker, Missouri State’s vice president research and economic development. “One day, a start-up company headquartered in Springfield could develop grape plants that are valuable to the wine industry and create useful nutraceutical products based on this research.”

Missouri is home to a large and diverse wild grapevine population that represents an agronomically valuable genetic resource that was used in this research. The research teams studied the Norton and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties and found that the Norton variety is highly resistant to fungal diseases. The team is now utilizing this research to enhance Norton plants for resistance to fungal diseases. Many of the antioxidants found in plants are classified as polyphenols, and resveratrol is one of the most widely known polyphenols found in the skin of red wine grapes. Laboratory testing has revealed that resveratrol can be beneficial to human health and has anti-cancer, antiviral, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory effects.

“Conducting collaborative research between scientists from different institutions in Missouri is vital to this state’s research future. Support from the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund fosters collaboration and expands the opportunity for innovation and discovery,” said Danforth Center President Dr. Roger N. Beachy. “The research between Missouri State and the Danforth Center is an example of how we leveraged our collective research strengths with the goal to develop new grape plant varieties that will increase the value of the crop while enhancing human health.”

The research teams are also working to understand how polyphenols can provide pain management. Scientists are studying the nervous system pathways to gain a better understanding of how polyphenols impact pain reception and transmission.
Research collaboration between Missouri State University and Danforth Center scientists was initiated in 2004. With funding from the Life Science Trust Fund, this research has been expanded to better understand how grapes can improve human health.

About Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public, comprehensive university system with a mission in public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons. The University is committed to achieving five major goals: democratizing society, incubating new ideas, imagining Missouri’s future, making Missouri’s future, and modeling ethical and effective behavior as a public institution.

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science.

Please visit www.danforthcenter.org for additional information.