What is Golden rice and How is it made?

Golden rice: Transgenic Rice with pro-vitamin A

Biotechnology, is it useful for the common people. How?

Biotechnology means 'applications of scientific and engineering principles to biological processes to provide goods and services'. Full understanding of biological processes is possible with detailed analysis of gene structure and function. Now we reach the world of Genetic Engineering. What is it? 'It means the introduction of manipulated genetic material (DNA) into a cell in such a way as to replicate and be passed on to progeny cells'. The outcome is attractive and promising.

124 million children are suffers of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is required by all individuals, deficiency of vitamin A causes night blindness. Throughout the world 124 million children are suffers of Vitamin A.

White Rice & Golden Rice

You know that rice is used as staple food almost in every country. Rice provides as much as 80 percent or more of the daily caloric intake of 3 billion people, which is half the world’s population.

Golden rice: This Rice could Save a million KIDS a year

Prof. Ingo Potrykus
Prof. Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer produced genetically engineered rice by introducing three genes associated with the biosynthesis of carotenoid. The transgenic rice was rich in pro-vitamin A. Grains of transgenic rice is yellow in color due to pro-vitamin A, the rice is commonly known as "golden rice".

How ?

Vitamin A is synthesized from carotenoid.
The addition of 2 genes in the rice genome will complete the biosynthetic pathway
1. Phytoene synthase (psy) – derived from daffodils
2. Lycopene cyclase (crt1) – from soil bacteria Erwinia uredovora produces enzymes and catalysts for the biosynthesis of carotenoids (β-carotene) in the endosperm.

How Does It Work?

Golden Rice

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