Carbohydrate biosynthesis and its regulation in cereal grains

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Plants have the unique capability to capture light energy and use it to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, which in cereal crops are present in the grain. Thus, cereal grains are the major source of calories in human diet and animal feed. Carbohydrates exhibit considerable structural diversity and relatively small changes can alter their functional properties and uses. For example, a change in starch structure alters its digestibility in human and animal stomach. This altered starch, referred to as resistant starch, can result in reduction in the amount of calories available from grain-based products, thus making grain products suitable for diabetics. Furthermore, since it is broken down by bacteria in the colon, it may contribute to lowering the risk of colon cancer. The proposed research will improve our basic understanding of starch biosynthesis and enable development of molecular strategies to produce wheat and barley lines with unique starch profiles. This will help Canadian producers to capture niche markets and help them to stay competitive in the global market place. In addition, food products made with wheat and barley with altered starch profiles can also help in disease prevention such as obesity and colon cancer and it has the potential to reduce health care costs.