Projects / Programmes
Ionom of crop plants for safe and quality food production
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 4.03.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Plant production |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B310 |
Biomedical sciences |
Physiology of vascular plants |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 4.01 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
mineral nutrients, iron, selenium, ionome, metabolome
Researchers (23)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
Mineral malnutrition affects more than half of the world’s population, while extensive use of artificial fertilizers together with pollution result in exceedingly high concentrations of potentially hazardous elements (PHE) in food crops. Iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), iodine (I) and selenium (Se) are mineral elements (ME) most often lacking in the diet, while on the other hand high contents of PHE like cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) in staple food pose risks to animal and human health. Crop-based solutions, such as biofortification, represent the most cost-effective and sustainable strategy to reduce mineral malnutrition. In order to successfully implement the mentioned technology deep understanding of uptake, transport and accumulation mechanisms of ME and HE is needed as well as understanding of plant physiological responses at metabolome level. The ME and HE composition of an organism represents the inorganic component of cellular, tissue and organismal systems and was defined as the ionome. This project aims to correlate studies of plant ionomics and metabolomics in order to set the base for plant breeders to be able to further select/create ME-rich and PHE-reduced crop plants. More specifically the project will address questions in the two work packages (WPs). WP1 will tackle the ionomics and metabolomics of low phytic acid mutants (lpa) of common bean (Phraseoulus vulgaris) and maize (Zea mays) with emphasis on Fe metabolism at organ, tissue and cellular level. Recently lpa mutants accumulating less phytic acid and more free phosphorus (P) and cations in the grains were identified in the major grain crops. The aim is to correlate the gene expression for putative Fe and vacuolar phytic acid transporters with spatial distribution of phytic acid as well as spatial distribution and speciation of Fe in the seeds and vegetative tissues of lpa mutants. This will lead to a better understanding of the transport and accumulation of Fe in relation to phytic acid content and distribution that is highly linked to Fe bioavailability. In addition, linking the ionomic and metabolomic profiles of wild type and lpa mutants will provide knowledge on phenotypic effects, induced by knocking out the genes related to phytic acid synthesis and transport, which will enable to further tailor the lpa crops with high contents of bioavailable ME and good agronomical potential. WP2 will deal with effects of Se biofortification of lettuce on the uptake of ME and HE and their transfer further to the food chain by using terrestrial micro and mesocosm systems with a slug snail (Arion spp.) as a model bioindicator organism. To date, foliar and soil applications of Se fertilisers have proven to be feasible approaches to increase Se concentrations in the edible parts of crops; however, there is only little information on the metabolism of different Se compounds in plants and how these Se compounds may influence the plant ionome and metabolome and consequently the transport and accumulation of ME and HE further to the food chains. This knowledge would set a basis for designing high-quality Se biofortified food crops and help to evaluate toxicity and food safety aspects of Se biofortified crops in low and moderately polluted environments. In order to successfully fulfil the goals set in this project, high throughput techniques will be used for bulk analysis as well as to resolve spatial distribution of elements and selected important metabolites. Bulk mineral analyses will be performed by ICP-MS and XRF, while FTIR and MS based techniques (HPLC-MS, LC-MS) will serve to analyse profiles of the selected metabolites. Imaging of element distribution at tissue and cellular level will be performed by synchrotron u-XRF and u-PIXE, while MeV and KeV SIMS will be used for imaging of the spatial distribution of selected metabolites.
Significance for science
The knowledge that will be obtained in the project will provide novel insights into metabolic pathways of Fe and phytic acid in lpa mutants and novel insights into pleiotropic effects (when mutations of one gene alters more metabolic pathways) of lpa mutations that could affect agricultural potential of the bean and maize crops. This knowledge will set a basis for the guidelines for selecting bean and maize accessions with low level of pleiotropic effects, high nutrient value and good agronomic potential.
Studies of interactions between Se and potentially hazardous elements (PHE) in Se biofortified plants will provide novel insights into the effects of Se and role of plant Se compounds in the transport of Cd and Hg from plants further into the food chain. In addition toxicity of the mentioned PHE will be evaluated in the presence of Se and different plant Se compounds. On the basis of obtained knowledge we will provide guidelines for breeding Se biofortified crops, taking into account the risks that are caused by moderate levels of PHE in soils. The topics is highly relevant and up to date, because in Slovenia and some other EU and non-EU countries the soils are Se deficient and this deficiency is reflected also in human nutrition and consequentially human health (problems with thyroidea and cardiovascular system).
We will combine complementary "state of the art" imaging and speciation techniques to resolve Fe localization and speciation as well as relationships with phytic acid and the major metabolites at tissue and (sub)cellular levels in bean and maize grains. Such interdisciplinary technique approaches are common in material science, but not in the field of plant biology, mainly due to the lack of technical knowledge and collaboration with the community of technique providers (mainly physicists). For analyses that include for example synchrotron and accelerator based techniques extensive knowledge on sample preparation, measuring setup and data analysis is needed and this kind of knowledge can expand only through interdisciplinary networking. The members of the project group (joined in AICO consortium - www.aico.si) are one of the leading groups in the field of quantitative elemental imaging of biological samples by micro-PIXE, LA-ICPMS and XRF and have extensive experiences in using and complementing synchrotron and accelerator based techniques as reflected from more than 20 successful experiments performed at EU synchrotron facilities, ESRF, Elettra, DESY as well as numerous publications of the group members. The application of micro-PIXE, LAICPMS, SR-micro-XRF, micro-XANES, FTIR as well as MeV-SIMS analysis techniques within the project will open entirely new possibilities of research in the fields of plant biology analytical chemistry, biomedicine, food and material science. These high quality data will enable us to discover the complicated biogeochemistry of the selected potentially hazardous elements, formulating realistic hypotheses and adequately assessing the environmental impact risks associated with real life situations.
Significance for the country
The knowledge that will be obtained in the project will provide novel insights into metabolic pathways of Fe and phytic acid in lpa mutants and novel insights into pleiotropic effects (when mutations of one gene alters more metabolic pathways) of lpa mutations that could affect agricultural potential of the bean and maize crops. This knowledge will set a basis for the guidelines for selecting bean and maize accessions with low level of pleiotropic effects, high nutrient value and good agronomic potential.
Studies of interactions between Se and potentially hazardous elements (PHE) in Se biofortified plants will provide novel insights into the effects of Se and role of plant Se compounds in the transport of Cd and Hg from plants further into the food chain. In addition toxicity of the mentioned PHE will be evaluated in the presence of Se and different plant Se compounds. On the basis of obtained knowledge we will provide guidelines for breeding Se biofortified crops, taking into account the risks that are caused by moderate levels of PHE in soils. The topics is highly relevant and up to date, because in Slovenia and some other EU and non-EU countries the soils are Se deficient and this deficiency is reflected also in human nutrition and consequentially human health (problems with thyroidea and cardiovascular system).
We will combine complementary "state of the art" imaging and speciation techniques to resolve Fe localization and speciation as well as relationships with phytic acid and the major metabolites at tissue and (sub)cellular levels in bean and maize grains. Such interdisciplinary technique approaches are common in material science, but not in the field of plant biology, mainly due to the lack of technical knowledge and collaboration with the community of technique providers (mainly physicists). For analyses that include for example synchrotron and accelerator based techniques extensive knowledge on sample preparation, measuring setup and data analysis is needed and this kind of knowledge can expand only through interdisciplinary networking. The members of the project group (joined in AICO consortium - www.aico.si) are one of the leading groups in the field of quantitative elemental imaging of biological samples by micro-PIXE, LA-ICPMS and XRF and have extensive experiences in using and complementing synchrotron and accelerator based techniques as reflected from more than 20 successful experiments performed at EU synchrotron facilities, ESRF, Elettra, DESY as well as numerous publications of the group members. The application of micro-PIXE, LAICPMS, SR-micro-XRF, micro-XANES, FTIR as well as MeV-SIMS analysis techniques within the project will open entirely new possibilities of research in the fields of plant biology analytical chemistry, biomedicine, food and material science. These high quality data will enable us to discover the complicated biogeochemistry of the selected potentially hazardous elements, formulating realistic hypotheses and adequately assessing the environmental impact risks associated with real life situations.
Most important scientific results
Interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
