Inserting bacterial genes into tobacco plants generate a type Polyester This can be done using biodegradable plastic, obtained polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a natural polymer or biopolymer that is ideal for developing products such as prosthetics. Although progress has been made in the laboratory, it is encouraging for small and medium-sized tobacco producers affected by crop losses.
According to the Colombian Tobacco Federation (Fedetabaco), in 2014 8,324 hectares2016 only 5,364 hectares, Data shows tobacco production in the country has declined, partly due to high production costs, tough public health measures on cigarette consumption and regulation through taxes.
“These factors have influenced the suspension of procurement and harvesting by some international tobacco companies,” said Diana Daniela Portela Dussán, PhD in biotechnology at the National University of Colombia’s (UNAL) Medellin campus. .”
Faced with this situation, she decided to give him a chance. Different uses for this native South American plantIt has been used for centuries as a pesticide and natural remedy to treat things like bumps, scrapes, skin pimples, and even bronchitis. Tobacco was one of the first products supplied by the United States to Europe, along with the potato, and was one of the first monoculture crops in Colombia before the advent of coffee.
The researchers note, “Some bacteria produce a type of polyester that can be used to make biodegradable plastics that are safe for health and the environment. But because this process is often very expensive, we started inserting genes from these bacteria into tobacco plants to optimize them and obtain the polyesters of interest directly from the plants.”
develop genetically modified tobacco, To maintain the likelihood that the technology will be viable for farmers and reach the market, researchers only use patents that have no property rights or have a licensing agreement.
“Although the phaC gene was the most problematic patent, we took advantage of the fact that restrictions on its use only apply to the country making the request. Thus, for Colombia we found 11 expired patents, making its technology “free” The public sector, we work with them,” he said.
Thanks to this, he “designed” genes in the laboratory so that Although it comes from bacteria, it is expressed in plants.
“We made adjustments and then used Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a ‘vector’ that, thanks to other modifications made in the laboratory, could transfer the genes that infected the plants without producing disease.”
After “infection”, he continued to confirm gene transferTo do this, he placed the plants in a medium containing the antibiotic kanamycin, in which only those with potential transgenic potential could grow.
“After the first selection, we confirmed the presence of the target gene by PCR testing and verified by electron microscopy that the biopolymer was being produced in the plant tissue,” he noted.
they are obtained Four transgenic lines, That is, they integrated the gene and expressed it in a biopolymer, specifically polyhydroxybutyrate, which is known to be biocompatible with human organisms and therefore ideal for the production of biomedical products such as prosthetics.
“We succeeded in producing a yield of 0.36 mg per dry weight, which is not much but does open up the possibility of improving the process and achieving better results, such as at least a 14% yield compared to the 2% obtained with this method. Research,” he concluded.
In addition to producing plastics, these genetically modified plants have been developed for other purposes, such as production of drugs and fiber, In addition to making it easier to restart the tobacco production chain, it has the advantages of lowering costs, reducing the possibility of contamination with infectious microorganisms, reducing energy consumption and protecting the environment.