title: Enrichment of provitamin A content in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by introduction of the bacterial carotenoid biosynthetic genes CrtB and CrtI.
abstract: Carotenoid content is a primary determinant of wheat nutritional value and affects its end-use quality. Wheat grains contain very low carotenoid levels and trace amounts of provitamin A content. In order to enrich the carotenoid content in wheat grains, the bacterial phytoene synthase gene (CrtB) and carotene desaturase gene (CrtI) were transformed into the common wheat cultivar Bobwhite. Expression of CrtB or CrtI alone slightly increased the carotenoid content in the grains of transgenic wheat, while co-expression of both genes resulted in a darker red/yellow grain phenotype, accompanied by a total carotenoid content increase of approximately 8-fold achieving 4.76 μg g(-1) of seed dry weight, a β-carotene increase of 65-fold to 3.21 μg g(-1) of seed dry weight, and a provitamin A content (sum of α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin) increase of 76-fold to 3.82 μg g(-1) of seed dry weight. The high provitamin A content in the transgenic wheat was stably inherited over four generations. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that enhancement of provitamin A content in transgenic wheat was also a result of the highly coordinated regulation of endogenous carotenoid biosynthetic genes, suggesting a metabolic feedback regulation in the wheat carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. These transgenic wheat lines are not only valuable for breeding wheat varieties with nutritional benefits for human health but also for understanding the mechanism regulating carotenoid biosynthesis in wheat endosperm.
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yingjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Pengyi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Cuihong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Mingli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Kexiu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Junli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yuesheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China ygx@hust.edu.cn hegy@hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guangxiao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China ygx@hust.edu.cn hegy@hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guangyuan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D065366:Cryptoxanthins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004885:Erwinia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D065366:Cryptoxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids; C041635:alpha-carotene
keywords: Bacterial phytoene synthase (CrtB); bacterial phytoene desaturase (CrtI); carotenoid β-hydroxylase (HYD); lycopene β-cyclase (LCYB); particle bombardment; provitamin A; transgenic wheat.