UnleashLupin · Unleashing the potential of narrow leaf lupin as locally grown protein crop
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-03-02 → 2022-03-01
- EU contribution
- €207,312
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Unleashing the potential of narrow leaf lupin as locally grown protein crop
As the world population continues to rise, so does the demand for a sustainable plant-based source of protein for human consumption and animal feed. In particular, Europe is in great need of a locally produced high-protein crop as it imports 70% of its protein requirements, relying heavily on genetically modified soybean. Narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) is a grain legume crop that represents an excellent alternative to soybean; the grain contains high protein levels (30‒40%), the crop can be used for sustainable agriculture as it fixes nitrogen in the soil (reducing fertiliser requirements), and it serves as a disease break for other crops. Most importantly, narrow-leafed lupin is a native European species and is grown as a minor grain crop in several countries throughout the European Union. The major barrier preventing lupin from becoming a more widely cultivated grain crop is the accumulation of toxic specialised metabolites in the grain—the quinolizidine alkaloids. While modern lupin cultivars have been bred to accumulate substantially lower alkaloid levels than their wild counterparts, grain alkaloid levels vary seasonally, often exceeding the threshold for use in industry. Moreover, modern lupin cultivars are more susceptible to herbivores, which is not surprising considering the proposed role of the alkaloids in plant defense. Although little is known about how alkaloids are synthesised, it is accepted that they are synthesised in vegetative tissues and must be transported throughout the plant via the phloem to accumulate in the grain. The main objective of this UnleashLupin was to identify and characterise transporters involved in the long-distance transport of the alkaloids into the seeds of narrow-leafed lupin. Upon achieving this objective, ‘transport engineering’ of these alkaloids was to be initiated, by knocking out selected transporters to block alkaloid accumulation in the seeds while preserving alkaloid accumulation (and insect deterrence) elsewhere in the plant. This project has achieved most of its objectives and milestones for the period.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Europe is in great need of a locally produced protein crop as it imports 70% of its protein requirements. Narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius, NLL) represents an excellent candidate. It is native to Europe, able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and produces high-protein grain (up to 40%). However, toxic alkaloids in the grain (quinolizidine alkaloids, QAs) prevent its widespread cultivation. Cultivars with low QA levels in all tissues are available; however, these are susceptible to herbivores, and grain QA content often surpasses safety thresholds. Interestingly, QAs are not produced in the grain, but are transported to the grain from vegetative tissues. Thus, I propose to specifically eliminate QAs from grain using a transport engineering approach without compromising defenses in vegetative tissues. In this UnleashLupin project I will discover and characterise the unknown transport proteins involved in translocating QAs to the grain. For this, I will combine my background in NLL genetics and genomics with the expertise of the Nour‒Eldin laboratory, which is world-leading in the field of plant specialised metabolite transport. Candidate genes will be selected from recently generated resources, and they will be tested for transport activity (e.g. in Xenopus oocytes) and cellular/sub-cellular localization. Techniques for in planta characterization (e.g. virus-induced gene silencing) will be provided by the Geu-Flores laboratory, which is currently investigating QA biosynthesis in NLL. The outcome will significantly advance the emerging field of long-distance transport of plant specialised metabolites. It will also be instrumental in the development of a locally grown high-value, herbivore-resistant NLL crop that accumulates little or no QAs in the grain but retains QAs in vegetative tissues. Such a crop has the potential of curbing the EU’s dependency on imported vegetable protein, thus contributing to sustainability and economic growth.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union