M.O.T.H.Y
Moth Outsmarting Through Helpful Yeast
Abstract
Lymantria dispar dispar, more commonly known as spongy moths, is a species of moth of Eurasian descent. They are an invasive species in the United States, harming forests and local farms in the midwest and mostly the northeast by defoliating the trees they inhabit. Biosynthesis will be used to attract and remove the spongy moth from the environment. This will be done by genetically modifying S. cerevisiae, or brewer’s yeast, to produce the pheromone Disparlure, cis-7,8-Epoxy-2-methyloctadecane, through Desaturase and Reductase. The goal is to make a sugar trap and use it to house the yeast and capture the moths for a specialized catch and release program. The trap will benefit the conservation of local forests and farms using the biosynthesis of Disparlure. This research could be applied to relocation of more invasive species across the globe.
