Achievements and perspectives of synthetic biology in botanical insecticides

Abstract

Botanical insecticides are the origin of all insecticidal compounds. They have been widely used to control pests in crops for a long time. Currently, the commercial production of botanical insecticides extracted from plants is limited because of insufficient raw material supply. Synthetic biology is a promising and effective approach for addressing the current problems of the production of botanical insecticides. It is an emerging biological research hotspot in the field of botanical insecticides. However, the biosynthetic pathways of many botanical insecticides are not completely elucidated. On the other hand, the cytotoxicity of botanical pesticides and low efficiency of these biosynthetic enzymes in new hosts make it still challenging for their heterologous production. In the present review, we summarized the recent developments in the heterologous production of botanical insecticides, analyzed the current challenges, and discussed the feasible production strategies, focusing on elucidating biosynthetic pathways, enzyme engineering, host engineering, and cytotoxicity engineering. Looking to the future, synthetic biology promises to further advance heterologous production of more botanical pesticides.

Molecular and Functional Analyses of Characterized Sesquiterpene Synthases in Mushroom-Forming Fungi

“…Sesquiterpene structures present several acyclic, monocyclic, bicyclic, tricyclic, and tetracyclic systems [2]. Owing to their complex structures, inherent bioactivity, and aroma, sesquiterpenes have widespread applications in food [3], pharmaceutical [4], fragrance [5], fuel [6], and agricultural industries [7]. Mushroom-forming fungi are specific fungal groups with the most conspicuous fruiting bodies; for centuries, they have been used as food and traditional medicine [8].…”

Toxicity, baseline of susceptibility, detoxifying mechanism and sublethal effects of chlorogenic acid, a potential botanical insecticide, on Bemisia tabaci

“…However, this longterm application of chemical insecticides has had detrimental side effects, such as sublethal effects on non-target insects, high levels of chemical residues in the environment and the food web, and ecosystem destruction (Sharma et al, 2020). Bioinsecticides have been suggested as appropriate alternatives to chemical agents owing to their decreased toxicity, high biodegradability, excellent target specificity, and minimal adverse effects on non-target organisms (Wang S. et al, 2022). Plants have developed many environmental adaptations, including physiological alterations, to cope with herbivore attacks.…”