Researchers develop rice to enhance plant-based diets

Chinese researchers have developed a new variety of rice enriched with a powerful antioxidant, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), offering a cost-effective and sustainable solution to increase CoQ10 levels in plant-based diets.

CoQ10 plays a crucial role in protecting cells from damage, particularly helping to maintain cardiovascular health. While it naturally occurs in the body, its levels begin to decline after the age of 20. Although CoQ10 is found in various foods, particularly meat, the average person typically consumes only 3-5 mg of it daily. Most cereal crops, such as rice and wheat, primarily produce a related compound called CoQ9, instead of CoQ10.

Thanks to the work of a team led by professors Chen Xiaoya and Gao Caixia, rice could also become a major source of CoQ10. The team's breakthrough in gene-editing technology allows rice to naturally produce CoQ10, offering a new, sustainable method to enhance nutrition in plant-based diets.

"Gene editing has allowed us to push the boundaries of what's possible in crop breeding," said Chen. "Our work represents a major leap forward in biofortification, providing a new, healthier food option for the future."

The development follows years of research into CoQ compounds across a wide range of plants. The team analyzed over 130 plants from 67 plant families and discovered that CoQ10 is an ancestral trait of flowering plants, but grasses and some other species predominantly produce CoQ9. Using advanced machine learning techniques to analyze data from over 1,000 plant species, they identified five key amino acid sites in the Coq1 enzyme responsible for determining the CoQ chain length.

After editing the Coq1 enzyme, the researchers succeeded in creating rice that synthesizes CoQ10. The rice now contains up to 5 μg of CoQ10 per gram of rice. Further research is underway to increase this concentration.

"This CoQ10-enriched rice is not only more durable, but steaming it doesn't reduce its nutritional value, making it easy to incorporate into everyday diets," Chen said.

In addition to its work with rice, the team is also developing CoQ10-enriched lettuce, further expanding plant-based sources of this essential nutrient.

As global interest in sustainable food sources grows, this breakthrough underscores the potential of gene editing to revolutionize how we approach nutrition. It also highlights the role of big data and artificial intelligence in modern agriculture, helping researchers make critical strides in crop development.

The findings were published on February 14 in Cell under the title "Design of CoQ10 Crops Based on Evolutionary History."

Chen from the Shanghai Chenshan Research Center of CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences and Gao from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of CAS are the co-corresponding authors.

Associate Professor Xu Jingjing from Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, PhD student Lei Yuan from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Dr Zhang Xiaofan from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Associate Professor Li Jianxu from Shanghai Chenshan Research Center are the co-first authors.