Researchers have developed a new strain of GM tomatoes that can efficiently produce some natural disease-fighting compounds such as Resveratrol (one tomato can produce an equivalent amount as fifty bottles of red wine)

Abstract

Phenylpropanoids comprise an important class of plant secondary metabolites. A number of transcription factors have been used to upregulate-specific branches of phenylpropanoid metabolism, but by far the most effective has been the fruit-specific expression of AtMYB12 in tomato, which resulted in as much as 10% of fruit dry weight accumulating as flavonols and hydroxycinnamates. We show that AtMYB12 not only increases the demand of flavonoid biosynthesis but also increases the supply of carbon from primary metabolism, energy and reducing power, which may fuel the shikimate and phenylalanine biosynthetic pathways to supply more aromatic amino acids for secondary metabolism. AtMYB12 directly binds promoters of genes encoding enzymes of primary metabolism. The enhanced supply of precursors, energy and reducing power achieved by AtMYB12 expression can be harnessed to engineer high levels of novel phenylpropanoids in tomato fruit, offering an effective production system for bio actives and other high-value ingredients.

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Explanation

One genetically modified tomato holds the same amount of Resveratrol as fifty bottles of red wine
The tomato has been a symbol for genetically modified food for many years. In 1994, genetically modified tomatoes hit the market in the US as the first commercially available genetically modified crop. GM tomatoes have since disappeared. (Source)

One genetically modified tomato holds the same amount of Resveratrol as fifty bottles of red wine

Resveratrol is a member of the  phenylpropanoids; an antioxidant found in grapes (when processed also in red wine), which has been reported to increase the lifespan of animals in certain animal studies. It may also be an effective supplement to fight cancer, heart conditions, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, but these claims are yet to be scientifically proven as there are still mixed opinions on the effects of Resveratrol. The researchers have been able to produce a tomato that has the equivalent amount of Resveratrol as fifty bottles of red wine.

These findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications in a paper titled: “Multi-level engineering facilitates the production of phenylpropanoid compounds in tomato”.

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What's so good about the GM tomatoes?

• One GM tomato contains as much of the grape compound resveratrol as 50 bottles of red wine. This is also found in berries and peanuts and is thought to protect the heart and lower cholesterol.
• They also produce the same amount of genistein as 2.5 kilograms of tofu. Genistein may help prevent breast cancer.
• "Medicinal plants with high value are often difficult to grow and manage, and need very long cultivation times to produce the desired compounds.
• Our research provides a fantastic platform to quickly produce these valuable medicinal compounds in tomatoes. Target compounds could be purified directly from tomato juice.
• We believe our design idea could also be applied to other compounds such as terpenoids and alkaloids, which are the major groups of medicinal compounds from plants." (Source)

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The protein AtMYB12 is found in a very common U.K. garden plant, Arabidopsis thaliana; it plays an important role in controlling the production of natural compounds vital for the plant’s survival. As explained in a statement: “The protein acts a bit like a tap to increase or reduce the production of natural compounds depending on how much of the protein is present.”

The researchers introduced this protein into a tomato plant – remarkably, it increased the ability of the tomato to produce phenylpropanoids. In addition, it induced the plant into devoting more energy into the production of these natural compounds, including resveratrol. Putting it another way, this protein turned on the resveratrol “tap” at full blast.

All these benefits, of course, does not mean you should down as much red wine or scoff as much dark chocolate as possible – the high sugar content in wine will at the very least reverse the anti-diabetic effects the resveratrol appears to offer. As aforementioned, some studies conclude that this multi-purpose molecule actually has no effect on the health of humans, with no association made between a diet rich in resveratrol and a reduction in the incidence of cancers or heart disease. (Source)