Projects / Programmes
Identification of genes from halotolerant fungi for improving salt and draught tolerance of plants
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 4.06.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Biotechnology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| T490 |
Technological sciences |
Biotechnology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 4.04 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
Agricultural biotechnology |
stress tolerance, salt tolerance, drought tolerance, functional screening, genetically modified organism, novel genes, biotechnology, extremophilic fungi, crops, bioethanol
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
25974 |
PhD Cene Gostinčar |
Biotechnology |
Head |
2013 - 2015 |
0 |
Organisations (1)
| no. |
Code |
Research organisation |
City |
Registration number |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
0105 |
National Institute of Biology |
Ljubljana |
5055784 |
0 |
Abstract
Water is crucial for life as we know it. High salinity and drought both lead to decreased water activity and thus disturb the functioning of biological systems. In addition to this, ions of inorganic salts are directly toxic to the cells. Organisms living in hypersaline environments have evolved specialized molecular mechanisms for avoiding and managing the detrimental effects of these environments. Transferring some of these mechanisms to crops may help them withstand droughts and thrive in the large (and quickly increasing) areas of salinized land that is now largely useless for agriculture. Similarly, industrial processes such as the production of bioethanol would benefit from the improvement of osmotolerance in industrial microorganisms. Significant efforts have been made to reach these goals, the importance of which are quickly increasing in the light of causes and consequences of global climate changes. However, despite achieving a limited success in the last years with the use of genetic modification, further improvements are much needed.
The aim of this project is to overcome the bottleneck in improving salt and drought tolerance in industrial microorganisms and crops: the shortage of novel genes for genetic modifications. For this purpose an improved functional screening method will be employed and a promising, but previously neglected source of salt/drought tolerance conferring genes will be investigated: naturally halotolerant and halophilic fungi. The gained data will be combined with the knowledge produced by the first genome sequencing projects of these fungi - the project leader is part of the project team of these currently on-going projects. This promising opportunity to take advantage of the underexploited resources of halotolerant and halophilic fungi is expected to result in a pool of candidate genes for improving salt and drought tolerance of economically important organisms. The most promising genes will be selected according to several criteria. Finally, the selected genes will be evaluated by their expression in an industrial strain of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and plant model organisms, followed by the analysis of the transformants.
The project is expected to contribute to efforts that are fighting the causes for severe food shortage in many parts of the World. At the same time it aims to improve the main organism used in the process of biofuel production. The results of the project will be published in high-quality scientific journals and/or patented.
Significance for science
The project resulted in several discoveries, including: - indentification of fourteen genes, which can increase the halotolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae an potentially also of other organisms; - improvement (optimisation of screening execution and conditions) and application of the methodology for identification of gene sources in non-conventional microorganisms on the example of the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans; the employed method has numerous advantages compared to conventional systems: (i) it uses naturally extremely stress-tolerant organisms as gene donors; (ii) fungi are more promising gene donors for improving stress tolerance of plants and industrially important fungi compared to structurally different and phylogenetically distant prokaryotes; (iii) similarly, S. cerevisiae is a more appropriate screening system than prokaryotes, while at the same time it is still easily manipulated in the laboratory; - publication and comparative analysed of the whole genome sequences of four species of the black yeast Aureobasidium, including the results that complement our understanding of the fungal stress tolerance and mechanisms that enable these fungi to inhabit extreme environments, cause infections and act as biocontrol agents against plant pathogens; - publication of the discovery that a part of the gene HAL2, when inserted in the homologue of Arabidopsis thaliana, increases the halotolerance of this model plant.
Significance for the country
The proposed project dealt with acute problems of agriculture (soil salinization, drought) and energetics (stress sensitivity of organisms for biofuels production). The project combined the knowledge of two highly qualified Slovenian research organisations and facilitated the exchange of expertise between different research groups. The results of the project, especially identification of fourteen new genes for salt tolerance and publication of four genomic sequences of stress-tolerant black yeasts, will promote further development and commercialization of drought and/or low water activity resistant microorganisms and plants. By contributing to mitigation of consequences of climate changes to food production (crops with increased salt/ draught tolerance) and to improvement of the industrial production of biofuels (improved yeast strain(s) for ethanol fermentation) the proposed project contributed to solving three of the major challenges stated in the Resolution on the National Research and Development Programme 2011-2015 (“climate change, energy, lack of resources, health and ageing”). Extremophilic/ extremotolerant fungi that were used in the project as a source of biotechnologically interesting genes have been isolated from Sečovlje salterns in Slovenia. The results of the project will therefore indirectly contribute to increased awareness about the importance of the biodiversity of this exceptionally precious and fragile environment, which is designated as a nature park and protected with the Ramsar Convention. The presentation of the results of the project at several international scientific meetings promoted Slovenian science and know-how.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
