Enrichment of carotenoids in flaxseed by introducing a bacterial phytoene synthase gene.
Carotenoids are well-known natural pigments, typically ranging from yellow to red. Carotenoids are industrially utilized as functional materials due to their strong antioxidant properties. Phytoene synthesis is known to be a rate-determining step in the entire carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in plants. We show methods of pathway engineering for the enrichment of carotenoids in flaxseed (linseed; Linum usitatissimum L.), which is an industrially important oleaginous crop. A phytoene synthase gene (crtB) derived from a soil bacterium Pantoea ananatis (formerly called Erwinia uredovora) strain 20D3 was introduced into L. usitatissimum WARD cultivar. The resulting transgenic flax plants formed orange seeds, which contained phytoene, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein. The total carotenoid amount in the transgenic seeds was 156 microg/g fresh weight at the maximum, corresponding to 18.6-fold increase compared with that of untransformed controls.
Fujisawa
Masaki
M
Central Laboratories for Frontier Technology, Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd., i-BIRD, Ishikawa, Japan.
Misawa
Norihiko
N
D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / Q000235:genetics*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019597:Flax / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D051232:Geranylgeranyl-Diphosphate Geranylgeranyltransferase; D018546:Hypocotyl / Q000235:genetics; D020636:Pantoea / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D010858:Pigmentation; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D002338:Carotenoids; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D051232:Geranylgeranyl-Diphosphate Geranylgeranyltransferase