Biofortifying Brassica with calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) for human health

利用钙 (Ca) 和镁 (Mg) 对芸苔进行生物强化，以促进人类健康

• 批准号: BB/G015716/1
• 负责人: Christopher Rawlings
• 金额: $ 46.04万
• 依托单位: Rothamsted Research
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2009 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FG015716%2F1
• 关键词: Biofortifying; Brassica; calcium; Ca; magnesium

Over 10% of the UK population consumes insufficient calcium (Ca) or magnesium (Mg) for adequate health. Magnesium intakes are especially low for >40% of UK women aged 19-34. Dietary delivery of bioavailable Ca and Mg can be increased through genetic (breeding) and agronomic (fertiliser) biofortification of crops. Successful biofortification requires increasing the Ca and Mg concentration of edible crop portions whilst minimising the content of antinutrients such as oxalate and phytate. Antinutrients inhibit Ca and Mg uptake in the human gut. Vegetable Brassica crops are good targets as they have a high capacity for Ca and Mg, and low oxalate and phytate contents, along with other health benefits. Targeted genetic improvement of vegetable Brassica can have significant effects on Ca and Mg delivery to UK and global diets. Building on previous evolutionary studies, we showed recently for the first time that relatively few genetic loci control leaf Ca and Mg concentration (leaf-Ca and Mg; Broadley MR et al. 2008; Plant Physiol. 146, 1707-20). We also showed that sufficient natural genetic variation and heritability exists to attempt genetic biofortification in Brassica. Based on UK dietary surveys, consumption of a single portion of Brassica leaf or floret (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, kale, pak choi) - bred for realistically-achievable Ca and Mg contents - could increase UK intakes to levels greater than the LRNIs (Lower Reference Nutrient Intake) for three (Ca) and five (Mg) million adults. However, at present, genetic loci and individual genes controlling leaf-Ca and Mg are insufficiently resolved to be useful in breeding or to reveal the regulation of genes controlling leaf-Ca and Mg. We have assembled an expert consortium to address this timely opportunity. First, we will resolve candidate loci associated with leaf-Ca and Mg to the gene level. We will exploit our recently-published datasets and new Brassica technologies including gene expression arrays for association analysis (genetical genomics, or eQTL). This work is only now becoming possible because of the emerging crop Brassica genome sequence and new Brassica genetic/genomic resources. We will determine the function of candidate genes in planta using new populations of B. rapa mutants, alongside functional studies of Ca-transporter genes known to have complex effects on leaf-Ca and Mg in Arabidopsis. Public-good pre-breeding pipelines within the consortium will be used to disseminate information. Second, we will develop a modelling framework that defines regulatory gene networks controlling leaf-Ca and Mg in Brassica. We will integrate mineral input and output data, gene activity and allelic variation using state-of-the-art systems-based expertise and resources. We will define genes, alleles, and their regulatory network architecture in the context of increasing industry-use of calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) fertiliser. Ca(NO3)2 is a desirable N fertiliser since it improves Brassica crop quality, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves the security of fertiliser transport and storage, since it cannot be used in explosives.

超过10%的英国人摄入的钙（Ca）或镁（Mg）不足以维持健康。在19-34岁的英国女性中，有40%的人镁的摄入量特别低。可通过作物的遗传（育种）和农艺（肥料）生物强化来增加生物可利用钙和镁的膳食递送。成功的生物强化需要增加可食用作物部分的钙和镁浓度，同时尽量减少草酸盐和植酸盐等抗营养素的含量。抗营养素会抑制人体肠道对钙和镁的吸收。蔬菜类芸苔属作物是一个很好的目标，因为它们含有大量的钙和镁，草酸盐和植酸盐含量低，以及其他健康益处。蔬菜芸苔的定向遗传改良对英国和全球日粮钙和镁的输送有显著影响。基于之前的进化研究，我们最近首次表明相对较少的遗传位点控制叶片Ca和Mg浓度（leaf-Ca and Mg; Broadley MR et al. 2008; Plant Physiol. 146, 1707-20）。我们还表明，存在足够的自然遗传变异和遗传力，可以尝试在芸苔中进行遗传生物强化。根据英国的饮食调查，食用一份芸苔叶或小花（如西兰花、卷心菜、羽衣甘蓝、小白菜）——它们的钙和镁含量是可以实际实现的——可以使英国的摄入量增加到超过LRNIs（低参考营养素摄入量）的水平，为3百万（钙）和5百万（毫克）的成年人。然而，目前控制叶片钙和镁的遗传位点和单个基因的解析还不够充分，无法用于育种或揭示叶片钙和镁基因的调控作用。我们已经组建了一个专家联盟来处理这个及时的机会。首先，我们将在基因水平上解析与叶片钙和镁相关的候选位点。我们将利用我们最近发表的数据集和新的芸苔技术，包括用于关联分析的基因表达阵列（遗传基因组学，或eQTL）。由于新兴作物芸苔基因组序列和新的芸苔遗传/基因组资源，这项工作现在才成为可能。我们将利用新的rapa突变体群体来确定候选基因在植物中的功能，同时研究已知对拟南芥叶片钙和镁有复杂影响的钙转运基因的功能。财团内的公益预育种管道将用于传播信息。其次，我们将开发一个模型框架来定义控制油菜叶片钙和镁的调控基因网络。我们将整合矿物输入和输出数据，基因活动和等位基因变异使用最先进的系统为基础的专业知识和资源。我们将在硝酸钙（Ca(NO3)2）肥料的工业使用不断增加的背景下定义基因、等位基因及其调控网络结构。Ca(NO3)2是一种理想的氮肥，因为它可以改善芸苔菜作物质量，减少温室气体排放，并提高肥料运输和储存的安全性，因为它不能用于炸药。

项目成果

A hypomethylated population of Brassica rapa for forward and reverse epi-genetics.

• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2229-12-193
• 发表时间: 2012-10-20
• 期刊: BMC plant biology
• 影响因子: 5.3
• 作者: Amoah S;Kurup S;Rodriguez Lopez CM;Welham SJ;Powers SJ;Hopkins CJ;Wilkinson MJ;King GJ
• 通讯作者: King GJ

Network-based data integration for selecting candidate virulence associated proteins in the cereal infecting fungus Fusarium graminearum.

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067926
• 发表时间: 2013
• 期刊: PloS one
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Lysenko A;Urban M;Bennett L;Tsoka S;Janowska-Sejda E;Rawlings CJ;Hammond-Kosack KE;Saqi M
• 通讯作者: Saqi M