A Novel Nutritional Intervention to Combat Osteoporosis

描述（由申请人提供）：钙等营养物质含量低会导致全世界数百万人出现骨质疏松症和其他严重健康问题。对于许多消费者来说，目前增加膳食营养素的方法不方便、成本高或难以接受。 STTR 第一阶段项目提议开发一种新方法，通过将转基因植物与低成本叶面和水培改良剂结合起来，提高蔬菜中一种或多种营养物质的水平，这些蔬菜已经构成了美国平均饮食的重要组成部分。例如，最近对钙转运蛋白 CAX 基因的研究表明，转基因胡萝卜的钙吸收量增加了一倍。另外，叶面改良剂的使用使非转基因生菜的钙含量增加了四倍，并且还增加了钾含量，而不会损害植物的外观或生长。结合这些研究方向，该第一阶段项目将寻求通过证明叶面改良剂可以进一步增加现有转基因胡萝卜品种中钙和钾的吸收来实现概念验证。该项目还将开始对一种流行的新鲜生菜品种进行遗传转化，以表达 CAX 基因，以便在第二阶段进行测试。为了更好地了解植物中钙和钾储存（例如质外体或液泡）的机制，将使用扫描电子显微镜来比较组织特异性和细胞内储存位置。该项目的成功完成将带来胡萝卜和生菜这两种蔬菜的种植技术，并大大提高钙和钾的含量。更广泛地说，该项目可以为经济高效、基于种植者的方法提供基础，以增加主食中的多种营养成分。值得注意的是，该方法提供了同时提高单一新鲜蔬菜中多种营养素水平的令人兴奋的可能性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Low levels of nutrients such as calcium contribute to osteoporosis and other significant health problems for millions of people worldwide. For many consumers, current methods of increasing dietary nutrients are inconvenient, costly, or unpalatable. This STTR Phase I project proposes to develop a novel method of increasing levels of one or more nutrients in vegetables that already comprise a significant part of the average U.S. diet, by combining the use of genetically enhanced plants with low-cost foliar and hydroponic amendments. For example, recent research with calcium transporter CAX genes has demonstrated a doubling of calcium uptake in transgenic carrots. Separately, use of foliar amendments has quadrupled the calcium content of nontransgenic lettuce, and also increased potassium content, without harming plant appearance or growth. Combining these lines of research, this Phase I project will seek to achieve proof-of concept by demonstrating that foliar amendments can further increase calcium and potassium uptake in existing strains of transgenic carrot. The project also will begin genetic transformation of a popular variety of fresh lettuce to express the CAXgene for testing in Phase II. To better understand mechanisms of calcium and potassium storage (e.g., apoplastic or vacuolar) in the plants, a scanning electron microscope will be used to compare tissue-specific and intracellular storage locations. Successful completion of the project should result in techniques for growing two vegetables, carrot and lettuce, with greatly enhanced calcium and potassium values. More broadly, the project may provide the foundation for cost-effective, grower based methods of increasing a wide range of nutrients in food staples. Significantly, the approach offers the exciting possibility of simultaneously enhancing levels of multiple nutrients in single fresh vegetables.