LOOP a 3BCAR NEW GENERATION project at IJPB

Global food security and usable biomass stocks are threatened by various abiotic and biotic stresses (including fungal phytopathogens), causing major production losses (up to 30%). Traditional crop protection methods are mainly based on the use of chemical agents that are not very respectful of the environment and have significant health consequences. In recent years, approaches to induce plant resistance are emerging.

In this context, new compounds able to elicit plant defense response remain to be discovered. Among these potential bioactive compounds, oligosaccharides (often tested in mixture) are considered as promising candidates. However, in order to better assess their eliciting power in the plant, and consequently their biotechnological potential, the impact of their monosaccharide content, their degree of polymerization and of oxidation remain to be elucidated.

By combining the forces of the IJPB and BBF laboratories (Fungal Biodiversity and Biotechnology Lab), the LOOP project proposed by Aline Voxeur (coordinator, GAS team "Glycans and Signaling") and Bastien Bissaro (BBF) will allow:
> to create a custom library of oligosaccharides, thanks to a library of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes (BBF),
> to test the effect of these oligosaccharides on the plant immune response, thanks to a collection of Arabidopsis thaliana transformants (IJPB).                   

The LOOP results should help in the formulation and development of elicitor oligosaccharide cocktails to boost plant immunity, securing thereby the use of plant biomass, which is the basis of human and animal nutrition, and which is one of the pillars of the bioeconomy.

LOOP a "NEW GENERATION" project financed by The Carnot 3BCAR