作物叶酸代谢工程

叶酸是指四氢叶酸及其衍生物的一类物质,是介导一碳单位转移的重要辅助因子。人体自身不能合成叶酸,必须从食物中获取。当人体叶酸缺乏时,贫血、神经系统疾病、心血管病及癌症等发病率显著增加。结合本实验室的工作,系统阐述了番茄、水稻和玉米作物的叶酸代谢工程研究策略以及研究进展,对叶酸合成前体喋呤和对氨基苯甲酸(PABA)含量与叶酸合成之间的关系进行了深入分析,并对今后叶酸代谢工程的发展进行了展望。

Folate Metabolic Engineering in Crops

Folate includes tetrahydrofolate (THF) and its derivatives are a kind of important cofactor for one-carbon (C1) transferring, which cannot be synthesized in human and must be taken up from foods. Suboptimal folate intake perturbs C1-metabolism, which increased the risks of megaloblastic anemia, neural tube defects, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Combining the work of our lab, this paper reviews the current status of folate metabolic engineering in crops such as tomato, rice and maize; makes a deep analysis on association between the contents of pteridine, p-aminobenzoate moiety and folate biosynthesis; and finally prospects the development of folate metabolic engineering in the future.