Some people take creatine as a supplement to enhance athletic performance
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Tobacco plants are engineered to contain creatine, a compound that is primarily stored in muscles as an energy source and is a popular exercise supplement. Researchers are currently testing this approach in tomatoes.
The only natural sources of creatine are animal foods, but it is also made artificially for supplements that claim to improve athletic performance or muscle mass. Pengxiang Fan and colleagues at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, wanted to explore whether creatine could be added to plants. This would be especially beneficial for vegans who do not want to take such supplements.
The researchers first created DNA encoding two enzymes that convert amino acids into creatine. Then they put this DNA into Agrobacterium The bacteria delivered it to the leaves of three tobacco plants (benthamiana tobacco).
Researchers have modified tobacco plants to produce creatine and hope to do the same with edible plants.
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After about 3 days, the leaves averaged 0 micrograms of creatine per gram of leaf to 2.3 micrograms of creatine.
The researchers repeated the experiment using DNA encoding the enzyme that makes the carnosine molecule, another popular exercise supplement. After a few days, carnosine levels averaged 18.3 micrograms per gram of leaf, compared to 0 micrograms at the start. The wide variation in final creatine and carnosine levels is partly due to differences in the DNA used, Huang says.
But because the DNA was not inserted into the plant genome, creatine and carnosine remained at these levels for only a few days, Huang said. The next step, he says, is to genetically modify the plants’ DNA so that they can produce nutrients for longer periods of time. His team has already engineered tomato plants to produce creatine and carnosine in their fruit as they ripen.
Hwang expects to be able to produce such a tomato in about a year, but due to strict regulations surrounding genetically modified foods, he says it will likely take years before it hits supermarket shelves. say.
Fruits and vegetables containing these nutrients can be much more convenient for some people than taking supplements, says Jose Antonio of Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Creatine and carnosine are also considered safe in high doses, so eating such produce probably isn’t harmful, he says.
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(Translate tag) Exercise
