Poster Presentation International Plant Molecular Biology Conference 2024

Can multibiofortified potatoes become a powerhouse staple crop?   (#37)

Laura Virginia Ferreras Custodio 1 , Simon Strobbe 1 , Da Cao 1 , Olivier Leroux 1 , Hanna De Baets 2 , Christophe Stove 2 , Tom Van Helden 3 , Frank Vanhaecke 3 , Dominique Van Der Straeten 3
  1. Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
  2. Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Bioanalysis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
  3. Atomic and Mass Spectrometry—A&MS Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) are a major public health concern worldwide, currently affecting 2 billion people. The burden of MNDs is unproportionately felt by populations in lower-income regions, due to their tendency to consume monotonous diets with low-nutritional value. Consequently, within these regions the incidence of developmental complications, infectious diseases and mortality is significantly higher. Thus, it is of high priority to ameliorate the nutritional status of these populations. Crop biofortification represents a long-term and sustainable approach to mitigate such problems. Potatoes are the third most consumed crop in the world, and there has been a steady rise on its consumption, with many poor and undernourished homes heavily relying on it. Here, a genetic engineering strategy was devised to improve the provitamin A, folate (vitamin B9) and iron content of potato (Solanum tuberosum) with a single T-DNA insertion. To achieve this goal, the micronutrients metabolism was targeted to enhance biosynthesis/uptake and simultaneously promote stability in a tuber-specific manner. This combined strategy allowed for a significant increase in concentration for all three micronutrients, whilst bearing minimal pleiotropic effects to the plants. This represents an improvement in crop biofortification state-of-the-art, since it demonstrates that multiple traits could be concurrently modified, therefore providing a more nutritional complete crop.