Bottlenecks in carotenoid biosynthesis and accumulation in rice endosperm are influenced by the precursor-product balance.

ABSTRACT: The profile of secondary metabolites in plants reflects the balance of biosynthesis, degradation and storage, including the availability of precursors and products that affect the metabolic equilibrium. We investigated the impact of the precursor-product balance on the carotenoid pathway in the endosperm of intact rice plants because this tissue does not normally accumulate carotenoids, allowing us to control each component of the pathway. We generated transgenic plants expressing the maize phytoene synthase gene (ZmPSY1) and the bacterial phytoene desaturase gene (PaCRTI), which are sufficient to produce β-carotene in the presence of endogenous lycopene β-cyclase. We combined this mini-pathway with the Arabidopsis thaliana genes AtDXS (encoding 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase, whi

SUBMITTER: Bai C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11389078 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature