A Novel Nutritional Intervention to Combat Osteoporosis

描述（由申请人提供）：低水平的营养素，如钙，会导致骨质疏松症和其他严重的健康问题，全球数百万人。对于许多消费者来说，目前增加膳食营养素的方法是不方便的、昂贵的或不可口的。该STTR第一阶段项目提出开发一种新的方法，通过将基因增强植物与低成本的叶面和水培改良剂相结合，提高已经构成美国平均饮食重要组成部分的蔬菜中一种或多种营养素的水平。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，使用叶面改良剂使非转基因莴苣的钙含量增加了四倍，也增加了钾含量，而不损害植物的外观或生长。结合这些研究路线，该第一阶段项目将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系中钙和钾的吸收来寻求实现概念验证。该项目还将开始对一种受欢迎的新鲜生菜进行遗传转化，以表达CAX基因，用于第二阶段的测试。为了更好地了解钙和钾储存的机制（例如，质外体或液泡），扫描电子显微镜将用于比较组织特异性和细胞内储存位置。该项目的成功完成将导致种植胡萝卜和生菜这两种蔬菜的技术，大大提高钙和钾的价值。更广泛地说，该项目可能为成本效益高、以种植者为基础的方法提供基础，以增加斯台普斯中的各种营养素。值得注意的是，这种方法提供了同时提高单一新鲜蔬菜中多种营养素水平的可能性。

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.