Capsaicin Genomics
The Genomics
Genomics is the foundation of the Scoville Splice engineering approach. From identifying the true metabolic bottleneck to designing CRISPR constructs and ESM2-optimized enzyme variants, every SHU target begins at the DNA level.
9 guides covering genes, pathways, and construct design.
The Pun1 Gene
How Pun1 (AT3/Capsaicin Synthase) catalyzes the final condensation step — and why it is not actually the rate limiter.
Capsaicinoid Biosynthesis Pathway
The two parallel branches — phenylpropanoid and fatty acid — that converge at capsaicin, plus all five capsaicinoids and their SHU coefficients.
The Vanillylamine Bottleneck
Why the vanillylamine supply branch carries 90% of flux control, overturning decades of assumptions about Pun1.
CRISPR Constructs
Twenty-five constructs, 24 guide RNAs, and 31,911 bp of engineered DNA — the tiered strategy behind every SHU target.
ESM2 Protein Engineering
Using Meta's ESM2 protein language model to design Pun1 mutations that improve catalytic efficiency.
How Sequencing Works
From DNA extraction through Illumina sequencing to assembled contigs — the pipeline that reads a pepper genome.
The pAMT Gene
The aminotransferase that converts vanillin to vanillylamine — the final enzyme before the condensation step.
GC Content
Why guanine-cytosine percentage matters for codon optimization, construct stability, and expression levels.
Placental Tissue
The specialized tissue inside the pepper fruit where capsaicinoid biosynthesis occurs and accumulates.