PubMed · 2026-05-27
Scientists are developing chemical tools called molecular glues and PROTACs that can selectively destroy specific proteins inside cells. This review explores how these human drug-discovery techniques could be adapted for plants, opening new ways to control plant biology and improve crops.
Molecular glues and PROTACs can eliminate proteins previously considered 'undruggable' — including ones with no obvious chemical handle, like transcription factors — by hijacking the cell's own waste-disposal machinery.
Several protein-degrader drug candidates have already reached human clinical trials, validating the approach, yet almost no equivalent tools have been developed for plants or agriculture.
Key design challenges for plant-specific degraders include identifying suitable plant E3 ligase enzymes to co-opt, choosing the right protein targets, and optimizing the chemical linker that connects the two ends of a PROTAC molecule.