NEWS | Chic >
Implementation of NPBTs in chicory for bioactive terpenes update
CHIC is the Chicory Innovation Consortium. The project’s main objectives are 1) to implement New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) in chicory in order to establish it as a multipurpose crop for the production of health-related products with clear benefits for consumers, and 2) to develop co-innovation pathways with stakeholders for game-changing technologies, such as NPBTs.
The overall objective of Work Package 3 (WP3) is to explore the potential of laticifers and sesquiterpene lactone biosynthesis for improved or new chicory products. Specific objectives are:
- • To produce costunolide in chicory root by inactivation of late steps of the terpene biosynthesis pathway
- • To produce parthenolide in chicory root by cytochrome P450 engineering
- • To study and modulate the laticifer network of chicory root for optimised terpene storage
- • To assay the bioactivity of chicory terpenes
Updates
The latex of chicory contains large amounts of sesquiterpene lactones, which interfere with the extraction of inulin. In this work package, one of the objectives is to identify biological activities of interest for these sesquiterpene lactones and to increase their production by using new plant breeding technologies. Bioactivity assays identified one promising sesquiterpene lactone with anti-inflammatory activity and extracts containing antimicrobial activity, for which the responsible substances are being identified. Using transcriptome data and the newly sequenced genome, candidate genes for the biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene lactones and the formation of the laticifers have been identified and are being functionally characterized.
More news about this project:
XI International Agriculture Symposium – AGROSYM 2020
In the article “Metabolic Engineering in Chicory by CRISPR/Cas9 Editing”, presented at the XI International Agriculture Symposium “AGROSYM 2020”, held virtually on 8-9th of October 2020, a recently popular gene editing technique was used to alter chicory genes involved in the metabolism of bitter compounds that belong to the group of terpenoids.
What does young generation think about gene editing?
Since the CHIC project’s inception 30 months ago, several essential steps and first results continue to arise and become available for the general public. More plants are being evaluated, and a variety of methods for testing safety purposes are in development, in the belief that CHIC will bring healthy and safe products to consumers. Even at the onset of regulatory changes in genome-edited plants, the project is moving forward to achieve what the scientists set out to do.
CHIC vs. Covid-19
In CHIC we join the fight against coronavirus and want to research whether compounds from the root of chicory can be developed into drugs against the virus. We are looking for research partners to test this activity. If you need more information, please write us through our contact form.
