Iron-biofortified Rice Developed to Help Combat Iron Deficiency Anemia

Vietnam National University researchers reported the development of iron-rich rice using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. The results are published in the Journal of Plant Biotechnology.

Iron deficiency anemia impacts billions of individuals globally, especially in rice-consuming regions. One of the strategies to combat the further spread of the disease is the development of biofortified rice. Vietnamese rice cultivar TBR225 is an ideal candidate for iron biofortification because of its high-yielding characteristics and superior quality.

In a previous study, CRISPR was used to overexpress a key iron transporter gene (OsNRAMP7) in TBR225. Thus, a follow-up study evaluated the genotype and phenotype of the OsNRAMP7-overexpressing TBR225 lines.

Molecular analysis confirmed successful OsNRAMP7 overexpression, resulting in significantly increased iron accumulation in edited rice lines grown under greenhouse conditions without affecting other metal uptake or agronomic traits. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of OsNRAMP7 overexpression for developing iron-biofortified rice varieties. This approach offers a promising strategy to address iron deficiency in rice-consuming populations while maintaining agricultural productivity.

Know more from the Journal of Plant Biotechnology.