BIOHELP

Revealing the hidden secrets of the MEP pathway to engineer new bio-resources for humanity

Coordinatore	CENTRE DE RECERCA AGRIGENÒMICA CONSORCI CSIC-IRTA-UAB (CRAG)    more  Organization address address: Jordi Girona 18 city: BARCELONA postcode: 8034 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Maite Cognome: Iriarte Email: send email Telefono: 34935636600 Fax: 34935636601
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Spain [ES]
Totale costo	265˙317 €
EC contributo	265˙317 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IOF
Funding Scheme	MC-IOF
Anno di inizio	2014
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2014-09-01   -   2017-08-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	Nome Ente NON disponibile  Organization address address: Jordi Girona 18 city: BARCELONA postcode: 8034 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Maite Cognome: Iriarte Email: send email Telefono: 34935636600 Fax: 34935636601	ES (BARCELONA)	coordinator	265˙317.30

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The recently-discovered methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway produces isoprenoids in plant plastids and most microorganisms. Its absence in animals makes it a promising target for antibiotic development. In addition, many isoprenoids have important industrial applications (pharmaceuticals, nutriceuticals, fuels, rubbers, etc.). In order to fully exploit this pathway as a drug target and successfully engineer isoprenoid bioproduction, we must understand its regulation. Emerging disciplines like systems biology, synthetic biology, and computational modelling offer powerful tools to address this problem. However, combined expertise in these disciplines is available in few places in the world.

The first objective is to study carbon flux through the MEP pathway using systems and synthetic biology. This will enable a detailed understanding of the complexity of regulation in the context of the whole metabolic network. Moreover, it will provide engineering targets to improve flux through the pathway (which thus far has met with little success). Targeted engineering will be linked to bio-production of carotenoids, essential isoprenoid nutrients associated with protection against chronic human diseases.

The second objective is to target deoxyxylulose reductase (DXR), a key enzyme that represents a species-specific variant pathway node. The metabolic conseqeunces of this variant node for pathway flux will be examined. Moreover, structural analysis will be used to develop DXR-specific drugs. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to a general decline in their efficacy, and availability of new antibiotics is desperately needed; this approach promises a route to powerful, species-specific antibiotics with fewer side-effects.

It is expected that this research will lead to the generation of fundamental knowledge about the MEP pathway regulation and antibiotic development. This will have wide-reaching applications in biotechnological production of isoprenoids and health.'