Acylsugar glycoside biosynthesis pathway discovery in solanaceae for novel pest-resistant crop design
Researchers at Michigan State University have identified specialized UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes responsible for producing acylsugar glycosides in Solanaceae species. These compounds offer anti-insect and anti-microbial protection, and the UGTs' broad substrate specificity enables rational design of novel acylsugars with potentially enhanced protective properties for fruit crops like tomato and eggplant.
Overview
This research from Michigan State University identifies specialized UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes that produce acylsugar glycosides in Solanaceae species such as Solanum quitoense. Acylsugars are naturally occurring compounds that provide anti-insect and anti-microbial protection. The discovery that specific UGT enzymes were recruited to glycosylate acylsugars opens opportunities to engineer novel protective compounds in fruit crops like tomato and eggplant, potentially reducing the need for synthetic pesticides.
The value proposition lies in the broad substrate specificity of these UGT enzymes, which allows rational design of acylsugars with tailored biological activities. By translating the acylsugar glycoside pathway into tomato and eggplant, researchers can create crops with enhanced pest and disease resistance.
Technical specifications
Key features:
- Identification of multiple trichome-enriched UGT enzymes in acylsugar-producing Solanum quitoense
- Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) validation showing specific UGTs are required for acylsugar glycoside production
- Comparative analysis confirming UGT homologs are not trichome-expressed in cultivated tomato, which does not produce acylsugar glycosides
- Pathway translation strategy for eggplant (pathway validation) and tomato (novel acylsugar creation)
- CRISPR/Cas9 knockout approach for candidate UGT validation in eggplant
- In vitro enzyme assays using non-glycosylated acylsugars to characterize UGT activity
- Substrate specificity testing to engineer acylsugars with potentially novel protective activities
- Planned transformation of tomato with UGT genes and UDP-sugar biosynthesis genes for novel acylsugar production
Technology readiness level
The research is currently at an early-to-mid stage of validation. Initial discovery work using trichome-specific RNAseq datasets has identified candidate UGT enzymes, and VIGS experiments have confirmed functional roles for at least two UGTs in acylsugar glycoside biosynthesis. Future validation steps include CRISPR/Cas9 knockout studies in eggplant, in vitro enzyme characterization, and pathway engineering in tomato to produce novel acylsugars. The technology is at TRL 3-4, with demonstrated biological proof-of-concept and ongoing pathway validation and engineering efforts toward practical crop applications.
About Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a major public land‑grant research university with a comprehensive academic portfolio and a large research enterprise. Industry partners engage through an on‑campus U.S. Department of Energy national user facility and shared core laboratories with user access. The university provides a chemical process scale‑up pilot plant on Michigan’s lakeshore, a research and technology park, and a Grand Rapids health innovation campus linking researchers with clinical partners. A statewide extension network supports field deployment and workforce training across Michigan’s manufacturing corridor. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from NSF, NIH, DOE, USDA, and DoD, while dedicated tech transfer and corporate engagement teams—supported by an affiliated research foundation—accelerate IP, licensing, startups, and sponsored research.
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