[{"_id":"project:6149","_type":"project","abstract":{"sv":"Vårt mål är att utveckla nya medel som effektivt bekämpar skadeinsekter utan att skada omgivande miljö eller människor, och därmed bidra till ett hållbart bruk av kemikalier i jordbruk och vid hushållsnära användning av insekticider. Via vår forskning om toxiciteten hos marina slemmaskar har vi upptäckt en ny familj av neuropeptider, alfa-nemertider, som verkar specifikt på jonkanaler hos bananfluga, kackerlacka och kvalster. Såvitt vi vet har aldrig förr ett så potent insektsgift hittats i den svenska faunan. Toxiciteten mot leddjur är ungefär hundra gånger större än mot ryggradsdjur. Det öppnar för flera användningsområden.Behovet av nya insekticider är stort. Inom jordbruket förstörs 40% av skördarna av skadedjur och sjukdomar årligen. Många av de ämnen som används är dock skadliga för människor och miljö, och utbredd resistensutveckling ger minskad effektivitet. Inte mindre än 71 av de aktiva substanser som godkänts för användning inom EU är listade som ‚Äùkandidater för ersättning‚Äù. Vi vill utvärdera alfa-nemertider som verktyg i ett modernt och hållbart jordbruk och för annan skadedjursbekämpning, genom: 1) kartläggning av peptidernas effekt på olika skadedjur som rapsbaggar, sniglar, vägglöss och kackerlackor; 2) kontrollförsök på viktiga pollinerare, humancell-linjer och ryggradsdjur (zebrafisk), för att säkerställa att effekten är selektiv; 3) studier av peptidernas nedbrytning i olika miljöer; 4) utveckling av bakteriell tillverkningsmetod för storskalig produktion.","en":"Our overall aim is to develop new insecticides to effectively fight insect pests without damaging the surrounding environment or humans, for sustainable agriculture and domestic use. Recently, we discovered a new family of neuroactive peptides from nemertean worms, the alpha-nemertides, which specifically target ion channels of insects, as cockroaches and mites. To our knowledge, these are the most potent insecticidal peptides that have ever been found. Vertebrate toxicity is only 1/100 compared with the toxicity to arthropods, which suggests a variety of uses.¬†The need for new insecticides is urgent, not only because 40% of global crops are destroyed by diseases and pest organisms annually, but many of the substances used are harmful for both humans and environment, and resistance development currently leads to reduced efficiency. For these reasons, 71 of the active substances approved for use in the EU are listed as candidates for substitution. We suggest that alpha-nemertides can be part of the solution to the problems. In the current project we will evaluate alpha-nemertides as pest control agents for agricultural and domestic applications, by 1) mapping of alpha-nemertides and their effects on a range of pests (e.g. pollen beetles, snails, bed bugs and cockroaches); 2) control assays to study risks for pollinators, humans and other organisms; 3) insecticide degradation rate studies, and 4) establishing production methods in bacterial culture for large-scale production."},"project_id":"2018-00613_Formas","identifier_short":"2018-00613","dates":{"start_date":"2019-01-01","end_date":"2021-12-31"},"organizations":[{"funding":[{"_id":3,"id":"202100-5232","sv":"Forskningsrådet Formas","en":"Swedish Research Council Formas"}]},{"coordinating":[{"_id":978,"id":"202100-2932","sv":"Uppsala universitet","en":"Uppsala University"}]}],"people":[{"project_leaders":[]},{"other_personnel":[]}],"tags":[{"_id":11550,"id":"10602","sv":"Biokemi och molekylärbiologi","en":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology"},{"_id":11652,"id":"30102","sv":"Farmakologi och toxikologi","en":"Pharmacology and Toxicology"},{"_id":11712,"id":"40102","sv":"Trädgårdsvetenskap/hortikultur","en":"Horticulture"}],"titles":{"sv":"Hållbara bioinsekticider från marina toxiner","en":"Sustainable bioinsecticides from marine toxins"},"total_funding":"2991999","type_of_awards":{"sv":"","en":""},"publications":[{"id":"diva2:2012801","type":"article-journal","status":"Published","issued":{"date-parts":[[2025]]},"title":"Nemertide Alpha-1 as a Biopesticide : Aphid Deterrence, Antimicrobial Activity, and Safety Aspects","language":"eng","author":[{"family":"Laborde","given":"Quentin","ORCID":"0000-0002-3255-5196","localId":"quela391","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]},{"family":"Dancewicz","given":"Katarzyna","affiliation":[{"name":"Univ Zielona Gora, Dept Bot & Ecol, Szafrana 1, PL-65516 Zielona Gora, Poland."}]},{"family":"Jacobsson","given":"Erik","ORCID":"0000-0001-9508-008X","localId":"erija377","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]},{"family":"Strömstedt","given":"Adam A.","ORCID":"0000-0001-9070-6944","localId":"adstr021","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]},{"family":"Muhammad","given":"Taj","ORCID":"0000-0002-6636-5809","localId":"tajmu645","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]},{"family":"Eriksson","given":"Camilla","ORCID":"0000-0002-1983-369X","localId":"camer567","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]},{"family":"Slazak","given":"Blazej","ORCID":"0000-0002-4143-6543","localId":"blasl536","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"},{"name":"Polish Acad Sci, W Szafer Inst Bot, 46 Lubicz St, PL-31512 Krakow, Poland"}]},{"family":"Göransson","given":"Ulf","ORCID":"0000-0002-5005-9612","localId":"ugo29049","affiliation":[{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]},{"family":"Andersson","given":"Håkan S.","ORCID":"0000-0003-1241-8888","localId":"hakan805","affiliation":[{"name":"Karolinska Inst, Dept Med Biochem & Biophys, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden"},{"id":"1313","name":"Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för farmaceutisk biovetenskap"}]}],"abstract":"Aphid control often relies on synthetic pesticides, but their overuse has raised concerns about resistance development and negative impact on wildlife and human health. Consequently, the search for new biopesticide agents has gained significant attention. Nemertide alpha-1, a peptide toxin from the marine nemertean worm <i>Lineus longissimus</i> (Gunnerus, 1770), is known for its pesticide activity but has less documented biological safety. This study investigates the aphid feeding deterrence and biological safety of the experimental biopesticide nemertide alpha-1. Nemertide alpha-1 demonstrated a clear dose-dependent repellent effect on the penetration behaviour of the green peach aphid (<i>Myzus persicae</i>, Sulzer). It also demonstrates bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects in an MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) assay, respectively, on <i>E. coli</i> (MIC: 112.5 µM) and <i>S. aureus</i> (MIC: 28.4 µM). In a bacterial liposome leakage assay, nemertide alpha-1 exhibits a less pronounced effect than the melittin control (20% maximum leakage at 100 µM), strengthening the hypothesis on the specificity of its neurotoxic mode of action. It is not toxic to mammalian cell U-937 GTB with only a slight decline in the percentage of survival at the highest concentration tested (80 µM). Finally, nemertide alpha-1 displays thermal stability over time for four weeks in three different conditions: cold (6 °C), room temperature (20–24 °C), and physiological temperature (37 °C). Nemertide alpha-1 deters green peach aphid feeding in the low micromolar range and exhibits low antimicrobial properties and very low toxicity to human cells. Its potential utility is further underscored by thermal stability over time.","DOI":"10.3390/md23100388","PMID":"41149591","ScopusId":"2-s2.0-105020051890","NBN":"urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-571275","issue":"10","volume":"23","number":"388","container-title":"Marine Drugs","ISSN":"1660-3397","keyword":"biopesticide; peptide toxin; pest control; repellent; Nemertea; aphid; Myzus persicae","publisher":"MDPI","published":[{"raw":"2025-11-10T15:31:20.217+01:00"}],"created":[{"raw":"2025-11-10T15:31:20.291+01:00"}],"updated":[{"raw":"2025-11-10T15:31:20.217+01:00"}],"URL":"https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-571275"}],"links":[{"type":"pid","link":"https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/api/project/swecris/project:6149"}]}]