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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Biotechnology

Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1442324

Constitutive Overexpression of Qui-Quine Starch Gene Simultaneously Improves Starch and Protein Content in Bioengineered Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Delaware State University, Dover, United States
  • 2 Reckitt (United States), Montvale, New Jersey, United States
  • 3 University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
  • 4 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, District of Columbia, United States
  • 5 Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 6 Chitkara Institute of Engineering & Technology, Chitkara University, Punjab, Punjab, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Cassava is a crucial source of daily calorie intake for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) but has an inferior protein content. Despite numerous attempts utilizing both traditional and biotechnological methods, efforts to address protein deficiency in cassava have met with little success. We aim to leverage modern biotechnologies to enhance cassava's nutritional value by creating bioengineered cassava cultivars with increased protein and starch content. In this study, we utilized Qui-Quine Starch (QQS), a novel orphan gene unique to Arabidopsis thaliana, to develop transgenic cassava plants with increased protein and starch accumulation in their tissues. A total of 10 independent transgenic cassava lines expressing QQS were successfully regenerated in this study, among which line R7 (F) demonstrated superior growth vigor. Quantitative RT-PCR verified the expression of the QQS gene in the transgenic lines. Data showed that QQS expression in cassava plants increased leaf protein content by 36% in line R’’’ (LA) L2 and root protein by 17% for the same line compared to their wild-type and empty vector (NPTII) control plants. Moreover, leaf-soluble total carbohydrates increased by 51.76% in line R (G) L2, and root-soluble total carbohydrates increased by 46.75% in line R7 (F). The novel function of QQS in increasing the starch content in the transgenic biomass is demonstrated. No significant change in the content of specific amino acids was observed among the lines and various plant parts. In addition, QQS expression revealed increased biomass, plant vigor, and early In vitro mini-tubers production for line R7 (F). Gene interaction study between AtQQS and 59 interacting partners generated 184 interactions or edges. These gene networks comprised several functional categories regulating the starch metabolic and auxin biosynthetic processes. The role of QQS in imparting starch and protein content of transgenic cassava plants is validated. The next logical step is the evaluation of biochemical profiles of cassava lines expressing QQS that reach maturity and the transferability of these findings to consumer-preferred cassava cultivars and local landraces grown in SSA. This study represents the first biotechnological report demonstrating a simultaneous increase of protein and starch content in bioengineered cassava.

    Keywords: cassava, Protein biofortification, Protein Deficiency, overexpression, QQS, Starch improvement, Food security, Malnutrition

    Received: 01 Jun 2024; Accepted: 22 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hankoua, Diao, Ligaba-Osena, Garcia, Harun and Ahlawat. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bertrand Bachaumond Hankoua, Delaware State University, Dover, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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