InnCoCells is a Horizon 2020 research and innovation project funded by the EU under the FNR-11-2020 topic “Prospecting aquatic and terrestrial natural biologic
Interaction between metabolites and proteins drives virtually all cellular regulatory processes within any organism as well as the interaction between different organisms. Recent reports highlight that numerous plant metabolites embrace multiple biological activities, beyond a sole role as substrates, products or co-factors of enzymes, or as defense or growth regulatory compounds. Though several technologies have been developed to identify and characterize metabolite-protein interactions, the effective and systematic implementation of such methods in the plant field remains limited.
Plants are continuously challenged by microbial organisms living in their biosphere, such as fungi and bacteria. Metabolic reprogramming, both within the plant and the attacker, is essential in the establishment of these relations. Within UGent-funded collaborative projects, we are using our various omics platforms, including transcriptomics, protein-protein interactomics and metabolomics, to map the networks determining the metabolic reprogramming in the cells of both the infected plant organ and the attacker.
Establishment of robust and sustainable production pipelines for plant bioactive metabolites is crucial for efficient exploitation, yet this is often hampered by the complexity of the molecules and their biosynthetic pathways. As such, the number of identified bioactive plant metabolites vastly exceeds that of those that are industrially exploited. Green chemistry via plant metabolic engineering can overcome current production bottlenecks if we find ways to increase our capacity to manage plant metabolism.
Given that JA is a universal elicitor of the biosynthesis of plant specialized metabolites, the research in my group focuses on the increasing of our understanding of the composition and functioning of the distinct modules of the JA perception and signaling cascade, both in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).
Alain Goossens from VIB-UGent center for plant systems biology unravels a piece of the trancription factor network of the triterpene biosynthesis. In the model plant Arabidopsis, triterpenes are predominantly expressed in the outer cell layers of plant root tips where they perform different functions in root growth, root development and in recruiting the root microbiota. "By having a complete knowledge of the pathways of triterpene biosynthesis, we could engineer plants in a very targeted way" says Alain Goossens.
During her doctoral project, Charlotte De Bruyn (VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and ILVO) managed to develop witloof and chicory that are less bitter. Using the gene editing technique CRISPR/Cas9, the genes responsible for the bitter taste were specifically altered, with success. Her findings offer prospects for breeding other bitter crops such as Brussels sprouts and endive.
FWO announced all newly awarded project grants and EOS grants. Among the successful applicants are some of our PIs!
