Regulation, Control and Design of Plant Root Systems for Production of Valuable Chemicals

自然界中的根产生各种各样的次生代谢产物，其中许多已被用作药物、杀虫剂、香料、香料等。最近开发了一种实验系统，通过发根农杆菌转化获得毛状根培养物，并成为了解基础根生物学的有用工具。与其他植物组织培养系统相比，“毛状根”方法在生产植物化学物质方面也具有几个优点：作为有组织培养物生长迅速，次生代谢物产量更高和稳定，产生细胞内和细胞外代谢物，以及直接适用于基因工程。这项提议的目标是整合生物和工程科学方面的专业知识，以开发具有商业可行性的植物根系。

Roots in nature produce an astonishing variety of secondary metabolites, many of which have been used as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, flavors, fragrances, etc. A recent experimental system, "hairy root" cultures obtained by transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes, has been developed and become a useful tool for understanding basic root biology. The "hairy root" approach also has several advantages over other plant tissue culture systems for the production of plant chemicals: fast-growth as organized cultures, higher and stable yields of secondary metabolites, production of both intra- and extracellular metabolites, and direct amenability to genetic engineering. The goal of this proposal is to integrate expertise in the biological and engineering sciences towards the development of commercially viable plant root systems.