plant factory-producing medicine

制造蛾信息素的植物工厂

蛾类通过信息素的交流来寻找配偶，人工合成的信息素通常用来监控或者干扰害虫的信息素交流。该研究以本生烟作为工厂通过瞬时表达最多四个编码基因来连续合成途径，我们生产出两种蛾类特异的多组分性信息素。来自经过遗传修饰植物的脂肪醇片段加速了属于小巢蛾Yponomeuta evonymella 和Y. padella性信息素的模拟过程。这些混合物非常有效和特异的诱捕雄性蛾，这说明符合常规的性信息素。我们的长期目标是在遗传修饰的植物中设计量身定做的任何蛾类信息素。这种半合成制备性信息素是一个生产中等至大规模生产高质量低污染的非常新颖和非常划算的方式

Moths depend on pheromone communication for mate finding and synthetic pheromones are used for monitoring or disruption of pheromone communication in pest insects. Here we produce moth sex pheromone, using Nicotiana benthamiana as a plant factory, by transient expression of up to four genes coding for consecutive biosynthetic steps. We specifically produce multicomponent sex pheromones for two species. The fatty alcohol fractions from the genetically modified plants are acetylated to mimic the respective sex pheromones of the small ermine moths Yponomeuta evonymella and Y. padella. These mixtures are very efficient and specific for trapping of male moths, matching the activity of conventionally produced pheromones. Our long-term vision is to design tailor-made production of any moth pheromone component in genetically modified plants. Such semisynthetic preparation of sex pheromones is a novel and cost-effective way of producing moderate to large quantities of pheromones with high purity and a minimum of hazardous waste.

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140225/ncomms4353/full/ncomms4353.html