University of Florida Researchers Develop Plant Models for Vitamin B Production

University of Florida researchers are developing databases and computer models to show how and where B vitamins are made in plants. The use of virtual plants to guide breeding projects could aid in increasing plants' vitamin content. Research details are published in the Journal of Experimental Botany.

Lead researcher Andrew Hanson notes that when complete, researchers can use the models to test ways to increase vitamin B in the system before experimenting on plants. "B vitamin pathways are involved in everything. You can't make biofuels or polymer constituents without the involvement of the cofactors that come from B vitamins," Hanson explained. .

Dean DellaPenna, biochemistry and molecular biology professor at Michigan State University added that  "Understanding the pathways leading to B vitamin synthesis in plants will give researchers knowledge, a map of sorts, for balancing the B vitamin content of major crops. This is especially important for developing countries where people depend on a single crop for the majority of their calories."

View the feature article from the University of Florida at http://news.ufl.edu/2012/08/22/vitamin-b/