Bioengineering gene-silencing-based plant defense for broad-spectrum crop disease resistancecore
sRNA-Defense · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-08-01–2031-07-31
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call ERC-2025-ADG · scheme HORIZON-ERC · topic ERC-2025-ADG. CORDIS record →
Objective
sRNA-Defense is an ambitious research project that will exploit the natural capacity of plants to produce antimicrobial small RNAs (natural host-induced gene silencing or nHIGS) to generate a completely new form of crop disease resistance.Plant small RNAs (sRNAs) silence pathogen genes. Current approaches using transgene-derived artificial sRNAs have had mixed successes in disease control. The recent discovery of nHIGS as a natural plant immunity offers a transformative path toward robust sRNA-based defenses. However, harnessing this potential requires a deep mechanistic understanding of how nHIGS works.Building on our groundbreaking discoveries, sRNA-Defense is poised to deliver fundamental new insights into nHIGS and evaluate its potential for precise, durable disease control. We identified specific pathogen-targeting sRNAs and an ARGONAUTE (AGO) protein responsible for their production during infection. We also identified an ancestral yet diversified gene cluster that serves as the precursor of these antimicrobial sRNAs – this distinct biosynthetic pathway offers unique opportunities for engineering. Importantly, we successfully achieved sRNA production and disease resistance by heterologous expression of an nHIGS-sRNA-producing gene cassette.sRNA-Defense comprises two complementary work packages (WPs) that integrate discovery science and translational application. WP1 (Mechanisms) elucidates the regulatory mechanisms linking the biogenesis and secretion of nHIGS sRNAs – a pivotal yet unexplored aspect of the nHIGS process. WP2 (Engineering) aims to develop a system that can be engineered to produce bespoke sRNA cocktails for simultaneous precision targeting of three major pathogens in a staple food crop potato. By employing innovative, multi-disciplinary approaches and novel methodologies in genetics, genomics, biochemistry, and cell biology, this project tests the hypothesis that nHIGS can be engineered to achieve broad-spectrum disease resistance.
Beneficiaries (1)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE SAINSBURY LABORATORY | UK | coordinator | €2,489,980 |
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