Essential micronutrient fortification of cereal grains for enhanced nutrition
2008
Gómez-Galera, S.; Naqvi, S.; Capell, T.; Christou, P.; Zhu, C., Universidad de Lleida (Spain). Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agraria, Departament de Producció Vegetal i Ciència Forestal | Pelacho, A.M., Universidad de Lleida (Spain). Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agraria, Departament d'Hortofruticultura, Botànica i Jardineria | Stoger, E., RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (Germany)
Mineral nutrient deficiencies are responsible for a number of preventable diseases, including anemia (iron deficiency) and heart disease (selenium deficiency). Cereals have low bioavailability of essential minerals. People in developing countries, whose diet is primarily based on cereals, are largely affected. The aim of this project is to engineer cereal plants with appropriate genes to obtain grains with substantially enhanced contents of iron (Fe), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn). We obtained the iron-storing protein ferritin (from Glycine max) and phytase (from Aspergillus fumigatus) that is responsible for degrading phytate which limits Fe absorption in the gut. We cloned three enzymes involved in the phytosiderophore biosynthetic pathway: nicotianamine aminotransferases A and B (from Hordeum vulgare) and nicotianamine synthase 1 (from Oryza sativa). Two iron transporters were also cloned: the iron regulated metal transporter 1 (from Oryza sativa) and the iron- phytosiderophore transporter (from Hordeum vulgare). We cloned the ATP sulfurylase for Se accumulation and a Zn transporter, both from Arabidopsis thaliana. All traits are being introduced simultaneously into the same cereal plant(s): rice and maize, using a combinatorial transformation approach. To the best of our knowledge, these experiments represent the most comprehensive experiments to date, for achieving substantial micronutrient fortification of important cereal crops
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Este registro bibliográfico ha sido proporcionado por Instituto Agronómico Mediterráneo de Zaragoza