Researchers in
<[www.isaaa.org]
s/download/Facts%20and%20Trends%20-%20China.pdf> China have developed a
[www.isaaa.org] genetic
engineering approach capable of delivering many genes at once and used it to
make rice endosperm produce high levels of anthocyanin. The resulting purple
endosperm rice holds potential for decreasing the risk of certain cancers,
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic disorders.

The team from various universities and research institutions in China
developed a highly efficient, easy-to-use transgene stacking system called
'TransGene Stacking II' which enables the assembly of a large number of
[www.isaaa.org] genes
into a single vector for plant transformation. Genetic engineering has been
used to develop biofotified
[www.isaaa.org] rice
with beta-carotene and folate, but not anthocyanins. Previous attempts to
engineer anthocyanin production in rice have failed due to the underlying
complex biosynthesis pathway.

After identifying the genes for anthocyanin production, they used their
'TransGene Stacking II' to transform eight anthocyanin pathway genes in the
endosperm of the japonica and indica rice varieties. The resulting purple
endosperm rice had high anthocyanin levels and antioxidant activity in the
endosperm.

The developed system could provide a versatile toolkit for transgene
stacking. The toolkit possesses a huge potential for synthetic biology.

[www.sciencedirect.com]