PROJEKTI
   

Project
Acronym: ConSage 
Name: Conservation and utilization of the diversity of sage species (Salvia spp.) – traditional food preservatives 
Project status: From: 2010-10-01 To: 2012-09-30 (Completed)
Contract number: ERA 64/01 
Action line:  
Type (Programme): Ostali 
Instrument: Ostalo 
Project cost: 150.000,00 EUR
Project funding: 132.892,00 EUR
Project coordinator
Organisation Name: Institute of Agrobiotechnology/ CERTH 
Organisation adress: Charilaou-Thermi Rd, 57001, Thermi-Thessaloniki 
Organisation country: Grčka 
Contact person name: Dr. Makris Antonios 
Contact person email: Email 
Croatian partner
Organisation name: Agronomski fakultet 
Organisation address: Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb 
Contact person name: Prof. Zlatko Šatović
Contact person tel:
  Contact person fax:  
Contact person e-mail: Email 
Partners
Organisation nameCountry
Dpt. of Biotechnology, Univ. of Tirana Albanija 
The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austrija 
The Faculty of Pharmacy in Skopje  
Short description of project
Sage (Salvia) species have a long history of culinary and effective medicinal use and have played important roles as food additives or as traditional herbal remedies for a variety of ailments. They are particularly rich in bioactive terpenes. Of particular interest are now the highly antioxidant polyphenol diterpene carnosic acid and its derivatives, present in high amounts in sage. Recent work from partners of the group, in the context of the SEE-ERA NET pilot project, successfully mapped the abundance and diversity of Salvia species in S. Greece and FYR Macedonia, ex-situ propagated several cultivars of S. fruticosa and S. officinalis; developed and applied novel molecular markers (SNPs) to assess genetic diversity; and characterized a novel sesquiterpene producing enzyme. The current research project will aim to capitalize on the accumulated tools and expertise in order to: expand the genotype collection by ex-situ propagation of Salvia sp. from other WB Countries (Albania, Croatia), 2) analyze the genetic and chemical diversity, emphasizing on antioxidant active diterpenes and polyphenolics, of the existing collection of genotypes and the newly collected plants and 3) Isolate and characterize novel Salvia sp. enzymes focusing on diterpene producing and modifying genes. Addressing the molecular and chemical diversity of these important medicinal and aromatic plant species of the region will not only contribute to conservation efforts for important genotypes but will also utilize the biodiversity to identify genes and enzymes producing bioactive substances of high added value. 
Short description of the task performed by Croatian partner
The current project aims to tap on this unexplored diversity and enlarge the established collection of Salvia spp. to include ex-situ propagated plants covering the geographical regions of Albania, rich in populations of S. fruticosa in the coastal areas and Croatia, especially rich in S. officinalis populations and minor Salvia sp. such as S. sclarea, an important plant for the perfume industry. The previously established collection from the SEE-ERA NET pilot project, expanded with the plant material from the new plant populations, will be analyzed for their secondary metabolites focusing on diterpenes and polyphenolics. The established constituents’ table will be applied to select the most extreme variable cultivars to be employed for the genetic analysis using current molecular tools addressing the: a) Genetic diversity and structure of the Dalmatian sage, Greek sage and S. sclarea using Amplified Fragment Length (AFLPs) and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR or microsatellites) markers, b) Diversity of the genetic variants of genes involved in the biosynthesis of mono-, sesqui-, and diterpenes on the genomic level using massive parallel sequencing based on the Illumina/Solexa approach. This effort will also enable us to elucidate the full length sequence of previously identified partial Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) of terpenoid biosynthetic genes and will identify novel genetic markers based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and SSRs which will feedback in the population study. c) Cloning and enzymatic characterization of novel genes involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoids leading to their biotechnological utilization for the production of high added value natural products. Overall, the project will result in the creation of fully characterized sage cultivars with unique ID on the molecular and chemical level which can target consumer and industry demand for customised high quality products. 


   

Design by: M. Mačinković

(C)opyright by Sveučilište u Zagrebu,