Objective
THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO PRODUCE GENES OF PROVEN UTILITY FOR TRANSFER TO CROP PLANTS, THAT WILL CONFER NOVEL RESISTANCE TO PESTS AND DISEASES WITHOUT UNDESIRABLE SIDE EFFECTS. THE WORK COULD BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IN REDUCING THE DEPENDANCE OF AGRICULTURE ON PESTICIDES.
Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIP) and lectins are found in a wide range of plants including crops, such as wheat, barley and maize, and are present possibly as 'defence substances' against attack by pests and pathogens. Some have a potent inhibitory action on protein synthesis in animals and other organisms. The potential value of these factors for transfer into susceptible plants as 'natural' antipest mechanisms has been investigated in this programme.
2 selected RIPs (ricin and saporin) were clearly demonstrated to be extremely toxic to the growth and development of certain insect species. Concentrations down to less than 0.01% were effective. In contrast, some insects tested were completely resistant. Bioassays using plant fungal pathogens and plant nematode pests indicated that these were also resistant to RIPs probably because they fail to absorb the protein. 10 new RIPs were isolated and their properties evaluated. Other RIPs are being tested for toxicity against insects and animals. A substantial amount of protein sequence was obtained from 1 highly purified RIP. This has enabled novel methods for isolating genes to be developed. The genes encoding the 2 tested RIPs were isolated for further investigations. Genes for certain RIPs could be of great potential value for the use of agriculture as selective antiinsect factors.
IT IS PROPOSED TO EXPLORE THE USE OF CYTOTOXIC PROTEINS IN GENETIC ENGINEERING OF CROP PLANTS TO CONFER PEST AND DISEASE RESISTANCE. THE GENES ENCODING THE PROTEINS WILL BE ISOLATED AND CLONED AT DURHAM, AND TRANSFERRED TO TOBACCO AS A MODEL SYSTEM USING THE AGROBACTERIUM TI-PLASMID GENE TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY.
IN BOLOGNA, WORK WILL CONCENTRATE ON ISOLATING THESE PROTEINS AND RAISING ANTIBODIES AGAINST THEM, EXAMINING THE EFFECTS AND SPECIFICITY OF THESE PROTEINS ON IN VITRO PROTEIN SYNTHESIZING SYSTEMS, EXAMINING THEIR EFFECT ON PLANT CELLS IN TISSUE CULTURE, AND DETERMINING THE EXTENT AND BASIS OF THEIR ANTI-VIRAL ACTIVITY.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering gene therapy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds cereals
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
40126 Bologna
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.