GM Rice

Iron deficiency is considered to be one of the most widespread micronutrient deficiency worldwide resulting to illnesses like anemia, heart problems, and neurological disorders. Despite the fact that whole grains, vegetables and fruits contain iron, absorption of the micronutrient is poor from these food sources because it is in complex with phytic acid. Since rice is a staple food for over 3 billion people, improving its iron content could help tackle the problem of iron deficiency especially among developing countries.

Researchers have incorporated into rice plant the ferritin gene from Phaseolus vulgaris which increased the iron content in the rice endosperm by two-fold. And to address the bioavailability problem , they have integrated the gene from Aspergillus fumigatus encoding a thermotolerant phytase protein and the gene for endogenous cysteine-rich metallothionein-like protein. Cysteine helps by increasing iron uptake during digestion. The concerted effect of these genes resulted in a 7-fold increase in cysteine level and a 130-fold increase in phytase level.

Related topics:

• Virus resistance
• Virus resistance technology
• Nematode resistance
• Nematode resistance technology
• Herbicide tolerance
• Herbicide tolerance technology
• Iron-rich
• Golden rice
  • The technology
  • The developers
  • Issues
  • Current status

Summary Report on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops - [View the 2004 report]

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SciDev.Net's dossier on GM crops - [Click here]

Global Status of Approved Genetically Modified Plants -  [Click here]

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