Palaniswamy Rakshana, Kambale Rohit, Mohanavel Vignesh, Rajagopalan Veera Ranjani, Manickam Sudha, Muthurajan Raveendran
Department of Plant Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Biochem Biophys Rep. 2024 Sep 6;40:101815. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2024.101815. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Carotenoids are potential antioxidants offering extensive human health benefits including protection against chronic diseases. Augmenting the supply of health-benefiting compounds/metabolites through dietary supplements is the most sustainable way for a healthy life. Our study compares the traditional rice cultivar Kavuni and the white rice variety ASD 16. RNA-Seq analysis was carried out in the maturing panicles of Kavuni, which are enriched with antioxidants such as the therapeutic carotenoid lutein, polyphenols, and anthocyanins, along with "ASD 16", a popularly eaten white rice variety, to elucidate the molecular networks regulating accumulation of health benefiting compounds. Systematic analysis of transcriptome data identified preferential up-regulation of carotenoid precursors (, ) and key carotenoid biosynthetic genes (, ) in the maturing grains of Kavuni. Our study also identified enhanced expression of , and transcripts involved in the alpha-carotenoid biosynthetic pathway and thereby leading to elevated lutein content in the grains of Kavuni. Kavuni grains showed preferential down-regulation of negative regulators of carotenoid metabolism viz., AP2 and HY5 and preferential up-regulation of positive modulators of carotenoid metabolism viz., , and , thus creating a favorable molecular framework for carotenoid accumulation. Our study has unearthed valuable gene control points for precise manipulation of carotenoid profiles through CRISPR-based gene editing in rice grains. Perturbation of carotenoid biosynthesis holds unprecedented potential for the rapid development of the next generation of 'Golden rice'.
类胡萝卜素是潜在的抗氧化剂，对人类健康有诸多益处，包括预防慢性疾病。通过膳食补充剂增加有益健康的化合物/代谢物的供应是实现健康生活最可持续的方式。我们的研究比较了传统水稻品种卡武尼（Kavuni）和白米品种ASD 16。对富含抗氧化剂（如治疗性类胡萝卜素叶黄素、多酚和花青素）的卡武尼成熟稻穗以及普遍食用的白米品种“ASD 16”进行了RNA测序分析，以阐明调节有益健康化合物积累的分子网络。对转录组数据的系统分析确定了卡武尼成熟谷粒中类胡萝卜素前体（ ， ）和关键类胡萝卜素生物合成基因（ ， ）的优先上调。我们的研究还确定了参与α-类胡萝卜素生物合成途径的 、 和 转录本的表达增强，从而导致卡武尼谷粒中叶黄素含量升高。卡武尼谷粒显示类胡萝卜素代谢负调控因子即AP2和HY5的优先下调以及类胡萝卜素代谢正调控因子即 、 和 的优先上调，从而为类胡萝卜素积累创造了有利的分子框架。我们的研究发现了通过基于CRISPR的水稻籽粒基因编辑精确调控类胡萝卜素谱的宝贵基因控制点。类胡萝卜素生物合成的扰动为下一代“黄金大米”的快速开发具有前所未有的潜力。
