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

Informazioni relative al progetto

SSAR

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 655559

DOI

10.3030/655559

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 5 Marzo 2015

Data di avvio 1 Marzo 2016

Data di completamento 4 Maggio 2018

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 212 194,80

Contributo UE

€ 212 194,80

Coordinato da

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)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2016-03-01 al 2018-02-28

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

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.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

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.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

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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