Transgenic multivitamin corn through biofortification of endosperm with three vitamins representing three distinct metabolic pathways
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Date
2009
Authors
Naqvi, Shaista
Zhu, Changfu
Farré Martinez, Gemma
Ramessar, Koreen
Bassie Rene, Ludovic
Breitenbach, Jürgen
Pérez Conesa, Darío
Ros, Gaspar
Sandmann, Gerhard
Capell Capell, Teresa
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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 -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.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009, vol. 12, núm. 19, p. 7762-7767