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How was genetically modified rice engineered to increase iron availability?
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genetic engineering
The generation of vaccines relies heavily on techniques in genetic engineering.
To address iron deficiency, which affects nearly 30 percent of the global population, scientists engineered a variety of genetically modified rice to increase iron availability through three primary genetic modifications:
- Ferritin gene introduction: Researchers introduced a ferritin gene from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), which produces a protein that binds iron.
- Phytate digestion: A gene from the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus was added to produce an enzyme that digests phytate. Because phytate acts as an inhibitor of iron absorption, its digestion significantly improves the bioavailability of the iron present in the rice.
- Enhanced absorption: The rice was further engineered to overexpress an existing native gene that produces a cysteine-rich, metal-binding protein, which facilitates greater iron absorption in the human body.1