Bioengineering non-sugar modifications of saponins (OSBOURN_J17UNIL)

皂苷（糖基化三萜）是植物天然产物中数量最多、种类最多的一类。它们是复杂的分子，在大多数情况下，超出了化学合成的范围。这些化合物具有广泛的工业应用，包括用作肥皂和其他家庭和个人护理产品中的表面活性剂。现在已经知道了相当多的合成和修饰三萜支架的酶。该项目利用一种创新的合成生物学方法，使用瞬时植物表达系统轻松快速地生产已知和新的天然三萜。目标是设计具有优化物理性质和性能的三萜，用于家庭和个人护理产品。

Saponins (glycosylated triterpenes) are one of the most numerous and diverse groups of plant natural products. They are complex molecules that are, for the most part, beyond the reach of chemical synthesis. These compounds have a wide range of industrial applications, including as surfactants for use in soaps and other home and personal care products. A considerable amount is now known about the enzymes that synthesise and modify triterpene scaffolds. This project exploits an innovative synthetic biology approach for easy and quick production of known and new-to-nature triterpenes using a transient plant expression system. The goal is to engineer triterpenes with optimised physical properties and performance for use in home and personal care products.