Designing cereal seeds for nutrition and health
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
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Technical Summary
The project will deliver lines of wheat with increased benefits for human health, focusing on two important traits: dietary fibre and mineral micronutrients.
Dietary Fibre:
The major dietary fibre components in wholegrain wheat and white flour are cell wall polysaccharides, arabinoxylan (AX) and ß-glucan. The objectives of the research in this area are to:
1. Determine the extent of genetic variation and genetic control of the content and composition in wheat to identify sources of variation for exploitation in breeding
2. Produce wheat lines with defined differences in endosperm cell wall composition, by identifying key synthetic genes and, using transgenesis or mutagenesis, modify their expression. We will then compare the location of these genes with QTLs for dietary fibre.
3. Characterise these transgenic wheat lines to determine the properties for specific end uses: human health, livestock feed and biofuels/distilling
4. Exploit information gained from manipulation of wheat endosperm cell walls to build a model of genes responsible for synthesis and feruloylation of xylan in grasses.
Mineral micronutrients:
Studies on mineral micronutrients will focus on increasing the contents of bioavailable iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in wheat. The objectives are to:
1. Exploit natural genetic variation in Fe and Zn concentrations and determine the chemical speciation in wheat grain.
2. Determine QTLs associated with Fe/Zn concentrations using double haploid populations grown in different seasons/locations with different levels of N.
3. Enhance Fe/Zn concentrations and/or bioavailability in wheat endosperm by transformation with candidate genes involved in their transport to and deposition in the grain.
4. Determine Fe/Zn chemical species and bioavailability in transgenic wheat.
Dietary Fibre:
The major dietary fibre components in wholegrain wheat and white flour are cell wall polysaccharides, arabinoxylan (AX) and ß-glucan. The objectives of the research in this area are to:
1. Determine the extent of genetic variation and genetic control of the content and composition in wheat to identify sources of variation for exploitation in breeding
2. Produce wheat lines with defined differences in endosperm cell wall composition, by identifying key synthetic genes and, using transgenesis or mutagenesis, modify their expression. We will then compare the location of these genes with QTLs for dietary fibre.
3. Characterise these transgenic wheat lines to determine the properties for specific end uses: human health, livestock feed and biofuels/distilling
4. Exploit information gained from manipulation of wheat endosperm cell walls to build a model of genes responsible for synthesis and feruloylation of xylan in grasses.
Mineral micronutrients:
Studies on mineral micronutrients will focus on increasing the contents of bioavailable iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in wheat. The objectives are to:
1. Exploit natural genetic variation in Fe and Zn concentrations and determine the chemical speciation in wheat grain.
2. Determine QTLs associated with Fe/Zn concentrations using double haploid populations grown in different seasons/locations with different levels of N.
3. Enhance Fe/Zn concentrations and/or bioavailability in wheat endosperm by transformation with candidate genes involved in their transport to and deposition in the grain.
4. Determine Fe/Zn chemical species and bioavailability in transgenic wheat.
Planned Impact
unavailable
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Peter Shewry (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Shewry P
(2016)
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science
Lovegrove A
(2017)
Role of polysaccharides in food, digestion, and health.
in Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
De Santis M
(2017)
Differences in gluten protein composition between old and modern durum wheat genotypes in relation to 20th century breeding in Italy
in European Journal of Agronomy
Wilkinson M
(2017)
The Gsp-1 genes encode the wheat arabinogalactan peptide
in Journal of Cereal Science
Bromilow S
(2017)
A curated gluten protein sequence database to support development of proteomics methods for determination of gluten in gluten-free foods.
in Journal of proteomics
Freeman J
(2017)
Feruloylation and structure of arabinoxylan in wheat endosperm cell walls from RNAi lines with suppression of genes responsible for backbone synthesis and decoration.
in Plant biotechnology journal
Rodriguez-Ramiro I
(2017)
Assessment of iron bioavailability from different bread making processes using an in vitro intestinal cell model
in Food Chemistry
Zielke C
(2017)
Characterization of cereal ß-glucan extracts from oat and barley and quantification of proteinaceous matter.
in PloS one
Salt LJ
(2018)
Intrinsic wheat lipid composition effects the interfacial and foaming properties of dough liquor.
in Food hydrocolloids
| Description | Identified genetic sources of high dietary fibre wheat for improved human health Identified genes controlling fibre synthesis in wheat and characterised them by RNAi knock out in transgenic plants Determined new information of mechanism of action of fibre in reducing the rate of glucose release during digestion of bread |
| Exploitation Route | With breeders and food processors, supported by TSB and BBSRC |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Healthcare |
| Description | VAUGHAN: RRes-BecAILRI workshop strengthening links with the Plant Signalling and Livestock Programmes |
| Amount | £33,400 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/GCRF-IAA/18 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2016 |
| End | 02/2017 |