A new collaborative subject field contribute by researchers from the Spanish National Research Council ( CSIC ) at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics ( CRAG ) in Barcelona and the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology ( IBMCP ) in Valencia describe a promising scheme to improve the nutritional benefits of crop .
A tobacco industrial plant with a virtual color that ruminate its photosynthetic activity . Chloroplast - hold back tissues appear in blue - greenish color . The areas where chromoplast formation has been stimulate are seen in orange - scarlet color . Credit : Luca Morelli . CRAG .
The work , published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ) , proposes the controlled transformation of chloroplast ( organelles that conduct the photosynthesis in farewell ) into chromoplasts ( cell organelle specialized in make and store big amounts of carotenoid ) . Free of subject matter harmful to the environment , this technology opens new perspectives for the nutritionary improvement ( biofortification ) of crop and for the sustainable production of carotenoid of stake to the cosmetic , pharmaceutic and food industry .
Carotenoids are a group of natural pigments in plant that protect leave from excess light and confab yellow to carmine colors to flowers and yield to attract animals to pollinate them and disperse their seeds . Well - know examples are genus Beta - carotin from carrots and lycopene from tomato . Humans and creature need to have these nutrients in the diet as a reference of vitamin A and antioxidant through the using up of fruits , veggie and greens . Although the chloroplast of green tissues contain carotenoid , the highest concentration of these compounds pass in cellular organelles squall chromoplasts , which are formed from chloroplasts in bloom and fruits . This transformation is responsible for the color change during the maturation of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes , which go from green ( when they only have chloroplasts ) to red ink ( when chloroplasts transform into chromoplasts ) . However , chloroplast in leaves generally do not metamorphose into chromoplasts .
" It is not known in detail how the transformation of chloroplast into chromoplasts industrial plant , but have now discovered that the starting point is to de-escalate the ability of chloroplast to pack out photosynthesis , " explains Briardo Llorente , first author and co - leader of the oeuvre . " After this stage , it is only necessary to spark the product of carotenoids to dispatch this complex transmutation , " says Llorente , who currently directs a semisynthetic biology laboratory at Macquarie University in Sydney ( Australia ) .
A baccy leaf in which chromoplast formation has been induced in the lower rightfulness , which is reflected in the growing of a golden - icteric color . cite : Luca Morelli . CRAG .
The two phases of this process happen of course in flowers and fruit , and the piece of work that is now published shows that they can also be induce in leaves by stimulating the production of phytoene , the compound from which the different character of carotenoids are constitute . The yield of phytoene causes a synthetic transmutation , that is , an unnatural transformation of chloroplasts into chromoplasts . " Our tryout show for the first time that when the stratum of phytoene exceeds a certain threshold , it damp the photosynthetic capacitance that characterizes leave chloroplasts . Afterwards , the rebirth of this phytoene into carotenoids stimulate the weaken chloroplasts to transform into chromoplast with very eminent levels of these healthy nutrients , " place out Manuel Rodríguez - Concepción , CSIC researcher at CRAG and co - leader of the study .
In addition to helping to clear a fundamental question in biology , testify that the loss of photosynthetic capacity and the synthesis of carotenoid are not only the aftermath but also requirement for the transition from chloroplasts to chromoplasts , this research convey to the mesa a operation with tremendous potential to increase the nutritional economic value of leaves and other green role of plants , which are especially loth to biofortification with carotenoid . The induced formation of chromoplasts get the leaves of eatable plants such as lettuce and unripe veggie such as zucchini to produce a characteristic yellowish - golden colour because of the accumulation of carotenoids .
The developed system works in all plant life species tested so far , so it could be used to enrich the harvestable tissues of craw plants with carotenoids once their photosynthetic bodily process is dispensable ( for example , just before harvest ) . " It is a very applicable technology both for the food diligence and for the sustainable production of carotenoids of pursuit such as natural pigment and nutraceuticals . We are currently seeking to improve the system for purpose at an industrial level , " highlight José Antonio Daròs , CSIC researcher at the IBMCP . investigator from the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology ( I2SysBio ) and the Institute for the Preservation and Improvement of Valencian Agro - diversity ( COMAV ) , also in Spain , as well as researchers from Australia , Germany , France have also enter in the work .
germ : Phys.org .
