Create, restore, and utilize ceramides with the power of plants.
Keywords: Ceramide, sphingolipids, skin barrier, metabolic engineering, genome editing, seed production
Sphingolipids are universally present in animals and plants, functioning as essential membrane lipids in cells. In some animals, such as humans, ceramides contained in sphingolipids serve as the main component of extracellular lipids in the stratum corneum, supporting the skin barrier function. As a result, ceramides have seen a rapid increase in demand as functional ingredients in basic skincare products and functional foods in recent years. Currently, plant-derived lipids are being used as a safe and inexpensive source of ceramides; however, plants contain very little free ceramide that is similar to that found in human skin, with most existing as less bioavailable glycosylceramides. We aim to develop metabolic engineering techniques to stably produce high-value ceramides by utilizing the functions of enzyme genes involved in the synthesis and degradation of plant glycosylceramides. Additionally, research is being conducted to modify the inherent sphingolipid functions of plants to enhance the accumulation of plant oils that can be used as biofuel materials and functional proteins in seeds.
- Company：埼玉大学 オープンイノベーションセンター
- Price：Other
