DELLATECH · New DELLA-based biotechnological tools for sustainable Agriculture
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2017-04-01 → 2019-03-31
- EU contribution
- €170,122
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
New DELLA-based biotechnological tools for sustainable Agriculture
The consequences of climate change, population growth and reduction of arable land are strongly compromising food security. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find novel crop varieties with high yield under sub-optimal growing conditions. As sessile organisms, plants have to cope ‘in situ’ with environmental fluctuations in order to survive and achieve reproductive success. For this, plants constantly monitor the environment and transmit this information to DELLA proteins that orchestrate the response to hazardous conditions by favouring the defence mechanisms and decreasing growth rates. Because of their broad involvement in the regulation of plant life, DELLAs have classically been a favourite target in agriculture. For example, semi-dwarf cereal varieties with enhanced DELLA activity were on the basis of the green revolution that averted a food security crisis in the 1960s-70s. These varieties showed improved harvest index, decreased lodging and enhanced resistance to fungal infections. However, modification of DELLA function has other pleiotropic and undesired effects. Moreover, from an agronomical point of view, DELLA-mediated growth-restrain represents a penalty in productivity and would be desirable to avoid it. The main objective of DELLATECH has been to develop novel DELLA-based biotechnological tools for a more efficient and sustainable agriculture. Specifically, we have addressed this objective with two complementary strategies in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana: (1) engineering of DELLA proteins (edgetic alleles) where some functions are impaired (for example the inhibition of growth) without affecting others (for example the defence response); and (2) identification of chemical compounds that block specific aspects of DELLA function (edgetic compounds).
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Since their discovery, the plant hormones gibberellins (GAs) and their inhibitors have become a widely used tool to improve very diverse agronomical aspects, such as the size and productivity of grasses, horticultural species and ornamental plants. However, indiscriminate application of these compounds also provokes undesired secondary effects. For instance, GA application is used in agriculture to promote and synchronize fruit development, but it weakens the defense mechanisms against pests. Therefore, there is a serious need to find new GA-related biotechnological tools that specifically improve certain agronomical traits without the lateral effects. Based on the deep knowledge generated about GA signaling in the past 20 years with the help of our own lab, here we propose to (1) establish a method to generate plant varieties that specifically improve certain GA-related traits without the lateral effects; (2) search for compounds that specifically mimic certain aspects of GA signaling; and (3) in conjunction with a Spanish biotech company, provide a well-trained academic scientist with the capacities needed to develop a professional career within industry-oriented biotechnological research.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union