Identification of a citronellal biosynthetic pathway from Lemon eucalyptus comparative metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses

Plants have played a vital role in human history, providing us with food and medicines. However, the low natural yield of these compounds poses a challenge to their widespread use. Thanks to recent advances in synthetic plant biology, we can now turn plants into biofactories, boosting the accumulation of natural compounds or even producing molecules new to nature, such as human vaccines. To date, no plant biofactory chassis has been established in which different metabolic pathways (similar to E. coli or S. cerevisiae) can be inserted. The aim of this project is to develop a plant biofactory platform for the sustainable production of terpenes, the largest family of plant secondary metabolites, with numerous uses in medicine and in the fragrance and flavor industries. We will use these plants to produce an insect repellent (PMD) that is currently chemically synthesized from citronellal, a plant monoterpene. This process generates hazardous waste and is not environmentally friendly. We will produce an alternative, sustainable source of this repellent.