Investigating and Exploiting Nonadride Biosynthesis for the Development of a New Generation of Herbicides

真菌制造一系列有用的化合物，如青霉素和降胆固醇药物，以及许多其他对人类具有不同用途的化合物。一些真菌制造的复杂分子具有除草剂的有用特性，可以用来控制作物物种中的杂草，或者作为生物燃料种植的植物。使用来自自然来源的这种除草剂可以帮助提高作物产量，并使耕作更有效率和效果。这个项目的重点是一类真菌除草剂，即二十二碳二烯类化合物。目前尚不清楚真菌是如何产生这些化合物的，但已知真菌中的基因控制着这一过程。这些化合物是独一无二的，因为它们杀死杂草的机制与所有其他已知的除草剂不同。这个项目的目的是发现与壬内酯生物合成有关的基因，目的是操纵它们来生产更多的壬内酯和相关化合物。这将对合作伙伴组织先正达有用，他们将测试为除草剂活性生产的化合物。我们的目标还包括操纵橙花苷基因，以制造一系列相关的化合物，这些化合物也将作为除草剂进行测试。建立化合物的化学结构与其除草效果之间的关系，将使先正达和其他农化公司能够设计和制造更有效的用于农业的化合物。最终，我们可能能够大规模发酵改良真菌，以生产更安全、更有效的除草剂。使用真菌发酵而不是在化工厂合成除草剂也将使除草剂的生产成本更低，环境更可持续。

Fungi make a range of useful compounds such as penicillin and anti-cholesterol drugs as well as very many other compounds with diverse uses for mankind. Some fungi make complex molecules which have useful properties as herbicides which could be used to control weeds in crop species, or plants grown as bio-fuels. The use of such herbicides from a natural source could help increase crop yields and make farming more efficient and effective. This project focuses on a class of fungal herbicides known as nonadrides. It is not known how fungi produce these compounds, but it is known that genes within the fungi control the process. These compounds are unique because they kill weeds by a mechanism which is different from all other known herbicides. This project aims to discover the genes for nonadride biosynthesis with the aim of manipulating them to produce higher amounts of nonadrides and related compounds. This will be useful for the partner organisation Syngenta who will test the compounds produced for herbicide activity. We also aim to manipulate the nonadride genes to make a range of related compounds which will also be tested as herbicides. Establishing the relationships between the chemical structures of the compounds and their herbicidal effects will allow Syngenta and other agrochemical companies to design and make more effective compounds for use in agriculture. Eventually we may be able to ferment modified fungi on large scale to produce safer, more effective herbicides. Using fermentation in fungi rather than synthesis in a chemical factory will also make the production of herbicides cheaper and more environmentally sustainable.