While a plant-based diet is undoubtedly healthy, There are certain amino acids and peptides that are essential for the human body and can only be found in animals.
For example, the creatinewhich is essential for muscle energy supply, carnosinewhich prevents cellular damage caused by oxidative stress, and taurinewhich maintains normal body functions, are rarely found in plants. There is no other option but to rely on foods of animal origin, such as fish, as well as supplements.
For this reason, Chinese researchers have developed a technology to synthesize these derivatives of amino acids of animal origin in plants. Although it is still in the proof-of-concept stage, it shows some feasibility.
Plants that become biofactories
According to the American Chemical Society, researchers have traditionally used bacteria to implant DNA containing genes that direct the production of various amino acids, peptides, proteins and other substances into plant cells. As a result, they have managed to develop lettuce that contains peptide components that suppress bone loss.
However, when attempting to produce more complex compounds, the introduced DNA can affect the metabolism of the host plant, reducing production efficiency. Therefore, a research team led by Fan Pengxiang of Zhejiang University devised a method to introduce instructions that generate not only the desired compound but also the molecules that make it up, as a combinable synthesis module.
Creatine, carnosine and taurine
The research team attempted to produce creatine, carnosine and taurine using Nicotiana benthamianaa tobacco-like plant commonly used in synthetic biology research. As a result, they were able to produce 2.3 μg of creatine from 1 g of N. benthamiana using a module that contains the two genes necessary for creatine synthesis.
Carnosine was produced by combining a module that produces β-alanine, one of the two amino acids that make up peptides. The N. benthamiana It originally contains a small amount of β-alanine and the addition of a β-alanine synthesis module increased carnosine production by 3.8-fold.
On the other hand, they also tried to produce taurine by combining multiple synthesis modules, but the results were not good. The metabolism of N. benthamiana was severely disrupted and, in the process of restoring normal metabolism, the amount of taurine produced decreased.
This research presents an effective framework for efficiently producing valuable nutrients in plants that are normally only available in animals. The researchers They hope that in the future this can lead to the development of plants that function as biofactories that can sustainably produce fruits, vegetables and other nutrients.
(Edited by Daisuke Takimoto)
Article originally published in WIRED Japan. Adapted by Mauricio Serfatty Godoy.
#method #plants #produce #nutrients #animals #today
