| Abstract Detail
Metabolic Engineering Cahoon, Edgar [1], Solomon, Felix [2], Hunter, Sarah [3], Taylor, Nigel [2]. Vitamin E and Provitamin A Biofortification of Cassava. Cassava is a staple crop for large portions of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, South America, and southern Asia. Storage roots of cassava are rich in calories because of their high content of starch, but are deficient in many essential micronutrients. As a component of the BioCassava Plus program (www.biocassavaplus.org), we are conducting research to increase the vitamin E and provitamin A (beta-carotene) content of cassava storage roots through biotechnology. We determined that cassava storage roots contain only trace amounts of alpha-tocopherol, the most nutritionally significant form of vitamin E. Instead the major form of vitamin E in storage roots is alpha-tocotrienol. By transgenic expression of homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase, the total content of tocopherols and tocotrienols was increased by approximately eight- to ten-fold in leaves and fibrous roots from regenerated cassava plantlets. The provitamin A content of cassava storage roots was also increased by introduction of an enzyme that enhances flux from geranylgeranyl diphosphosphate of the plastid isoprenoid pathway towards the synthesis of beta-carotene. The presentation will describe these results and will summarize ongoing and future metabolic engineering strategies for the vitamin E and provitamin A biofortification of cassava storage roots.
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1 - Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N. Warson Rd., Saint Louis, MO, 63132, USA
2 - Danforth Plant Science Center
3 - USDA-ARS Plant Genetics Research Unit, Danforth Plant Science Center
Keywords:
none specified
Presentation Type: Plant Biology Abstract
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P43011
Abstract ID:2625 |
