Future bio-pesticides for EU: unlocking the code of Saponin Structure-Activity Relationships for use in pest management

Información del proyecto

SSAR

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 655559

DOI

10.3030/655559

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de la firma de la CE 5 Marzo 2015

Fecha de inicio 1 Marzo 2016

Fecha de finalización 4 Mayo 2018

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 212 194,80

Aportación de la UE

€ 212 194,80

Coordinado por

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SSAR (Future bio-pesticides for EU: unlocking the code of Saponin Structure-Activity Relationships for use in pest management)

Período documentado: 2016-03-01 hasta 2018-02-28

Resumen del contexto y de los objetivos generales del proyecto

This project aims to elucidate the relationship between saponin chemical structures and their biological activities and evolution. The new knowledge gained will have great industrial application potential as a generic platform for the production of bio-active compounds from plants and their use for bio-pesticides as an alternative to chemically produced pesticides. The new bio-pesticides will both help to meet society’s need for more sustainable food production and to contribute to the development of the knowledge based bio-economy. Identification of genes involved in saponin biosynthetic pathway will also open the possibility to engineer and breed crop with tailored saponin-based pest resistance capabilities. First, the genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of saponins will be identified. Then desired or novel saponins will be produced in plant tissues through metabolic engineering with the identified genes. Finally, purified saponins will be used in bioassays with a range of pest species, to unlock the code of exactly which saponin chemical structures have a given specific biological activity.

Trabajo realizado desde el comienzo del proyecto hasta el final del período abarcado por el informe y los principales resultados hasta la fecha

During this project, we elucidated the biosynthetic pathway of insect-resistance associated saponins through identification of the key biosynthesis gene, CYP72A552. With all the biosynthetic genes at hand, we managed to produce desired saponins in tobacco plants through metabolic engineering. Later we showed that those tobacco plants gained resistance against its herbivore insects because of the accumulation of desired saponins. In the end, we managed to produce desired saponins in yeast, a potential production platform, which is a crucial step for commercial production of this compound in large scale.

Avances que van más allá del estado de la técnica e impacto potencial esperado (incluida la repercusión socioeconómica y las implicaciones sociales más amplias del proyecto hasta la fecha)

We have identified bio-active saponins and shown the possibility to produce them in a production platform. This will help to commercialize the production of bio-active saponins in industry scale, which will contribute to society’s need for more sustainable food production. We successfully enabled tobacco plants to gain resistance against its herbivore through transiently expressing the whole saponin biosynthesis pathway, which showed the possibility to engineer and breed crop with tailored saponin-based pest resistance capabilities.

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