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Maize is essential to the diet of millions of people in the developing world. Consequently, vitamin A deficiency is prevalent since maize provides an insufficient amount of vitamin A. Around 17-30% of children in these regions suffer from complications that arise from vitamin A deficiency, such as xeropthalmia, which can result in blindness. Other health-related issues stemming from vitamin A deficiency affect another 250 million people. One solution for reducing the incidence of this form of micronutrient malnutrition is to develop maize lines with higher amounts of provitamin A. Several carotenoid compounds that naturally occur in maize (e.g., β-carotene) exhibit provitamin A activity. Humans convert provitamin A to vitamin A through digestion. Our research uses statistical methodologies such as association mapping to find genes that are associated with carotenoid compounds. Once these genes are discovered, breeders can use the relatively affordable method of marker-assisted selection to increase the amount of provitamin A activity. So far, two essential genes were identified and are published in Harjes et al. (2008) and Yan et al. (2010). The ultimate goal of this research is to find enough genes to develop lines of maize that have 15 micrograms of β-carotene per gram. This amount should provide the necessary daily levels of vitamin A for those who rely on maize for sustenance.
This is an NSF Plant Genome project (grant # 0922493) led by PI Dean DellaPenna, Co-PIs Torbert Rocheford, Edward Buckler, C. Robin Buell, and Key Collaborators Michael Gore and Jianbing Yan. For further information, please visit http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0922493
Citations:
Harjes, C. et al. Natural genetic variation in Lycopene epsilon cyclase tapped for maize biofortification. Science 319 (5861), 330-333 (2008).
Yan, J. et al. Rare genetic variation at Zea mays crtRB1 increases β-carotene in maize grain. Nature Genetics 42, 322-327 (2010).
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