|
April 28, 2009
Source:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America (PNAS)
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/04/27/0901412106.abstract?sid=26e60421-6771-4c8f-ad65-6d372ca2a1cd
Transgenic multivitamin corn
through biofortification of endosperm with three vitamins
representing three distinct metabolic pathways
Shaista Naqvia, Changfu Zhua, Gemma Farrea, Koreen Ramessara,
Ludovic Bassiea, Jürgen Breitenbachb, Dario Perez Conesac,
Gaspar Rosc, Gerhard Sandmannb, Teresa Capella and Paul Christou
Abstract
Vitamin deficiency affects up to 50% of the world's population,
disproportionately impacting on developing countries where
populations endure monotonous, cereal-rich diets. Transgenic
plants offer an effective way to increase the vitamin content of
staple crops, but thus far it has only been possible to enhance
individual vitamins. We created elite inbred South African
transgenic corn plants in which the levels of 3 vitamins were
increased specifically in the endosperm through the simultaneous
modification of 3 separate metabolic pathways. The transgenic
kernels contained 169-fold the normal amount of β-carotene,
6-fold the normal amount of ascorbate, and double the normal
amount of folate. Levels of engineered vitamins remained stable
at least through to the T3 homozygous generation. This
achievement, which vastly exceeds any realized thus far by
conventional breeding alone, opens the way for the development
of nutritionally complete cereals to benefit the world's poorest
people.
Full text:
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/04/27/0901412106.full.pdf+html
|
|
