Researchers at the Earlham Institute in Norwich have successfully turned tobacco plants into factories for moth sex pheromones using precision gene engineering techniques.

In doing so, they have provided a sustainable, affordable, and green alternative to chemical synthesis for producing complex molecules such as pheromones released by organisms for communication purposes.

Precision Gene Engineering Enables Tobacco Plants to Produce Moth Pheromones

Pheromones are complex chemicals that allow members of the same species to send signals to each other. Farmers use pheromone dispersers among their crops to mimic the signals of female insects, distracting or trapping male insects from finding mates.

While chemical processes can produce some pheromones, this method is often expensive and creates toxic byproducts.

Dr. Nicola Patron, who leads the Synthetic Biology Group at the Earlham Institute, uses synthetic biology to engineer plants to produce these valuable natural products.

Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to DNA, allowing genetic modules to be created with instructions to build new molecules. These genetic instructions can turn a plant such as tobacco into a factory that requires only sunlight and water.

In a report by EurekAlert, Dr. Patron's team worked with researchers at the Plant Molecular and Cell Biology Institute in Valencia to create a modified version of Nicotiana benthamiana, a type of tobacco plant that can produce sexual pheromones of moths.

This plant had already been genetically altered to produce antibodies for Ebola and coronavirus-like particles in Covid vaccines. The group synthesized novel DNA sequences in a laboratory to emulate the genes of the moths.

Additionally, they incorporated molecular switches to regulate the genes' expression, enabling them to turn the manufacturing process on and off as necessary.

To fine-tune the production of the pheromones, the team employed copper sulfate to manage the function of the genes in charge of synthesizing a combination of particular molecules that imitate the sexual pheromones of various moth species.

The researchers controlled both the timing and level of gene expression, allowing them to tweak the cocktail of pheromone components to suit specific moth species better. The team anticipates that their efforts will facilitate the widespread utilization of plants for generating diverse and valuable natural products.

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Turning Tobacco Plants Into Pheromone Factories: A Sustainable and Affordable Alternative

Using plants to produce complex molecules offers a cheaper and greener alternative to chemical synthesis. Plants already produce various useful molecules, so the latest techniques can be used to adapt and refine the existing machinery.

The researchers expect to see greenhouses filled with plant factories in the future, providing a more sustainable and affordable way to manufacture complex molecules.

The study is part of the SUSPHIRE initiative, which received support from ERACoBiotech through the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of UKRI.

The research team demonstrated how synthetic biology can regulate gene expression with greater precision. This approach offers a means to enhance the production of substances that plants already produce or to create new biological compounds, such as pheromones or medications.

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