Metabolic engineering of astaxanthin-rich maize and its use in the production of biofortified eggs.
Plant Biotechnol J
; 19(9): 1812-1823, 2021 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33780119
ABSTRACT
Production of the high-value carotenoid astaxanthin, which is widely used in food and feed due to its strong antioxidant activity and colour, is less efficient in cereals than in model plants. Here, we report a new strategy for expressing ß-carotene ketolase and hydroxylase genes from algae, yeasts and flowering plants in the whole seed using a seed-specific bidirectional promoter. Engineered maize events were backcrossed to inbred maize lines with yellow endosperm to generate progenies that accumulate astaxanthin from 47.76 to 111.82 mg/kg DW in seeds, and the maximum level is approximately sixfold higher than those in previous reports (16.2-16.8 mg/kg DW) in cereals. A feeding trial with laying hens indicated that they could take up astaxanthin from the maize and accumulate it in egg yolks (12.10-14.15 mg/kg) without affecting egg production and quality, as observed using astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis. Storage stability evaluation analysis showed that the optimal conditions for long-term storage of astaxanthin-rich maize are at 4 °C in the dark. This study shows that co-expressing of functional genes driven by seed-specific bidirectional promoter could dramatically boost astaxanthin biosynthesis in every parts of kernel including embryo, aleurone layer and starch endosperm other than previous reports in the starch endosperm only. And the staple crop maize could serve as a cost-effective plant factory for reliably producing astaxanthin.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Zea mays
/
Engenharia Metabólica
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Plant Biotechnol J
Assunto da revista:
BIOTECNOLOGIA
/
BOTANICA
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China