Biofortified crop potential: Researchers discover mutation in peas leading to high iron content in Uk

Using a newly available map, researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norfolk, England identified the genetic sequencing behind the high iron content in two varieties of pea. The researchers used an RNA sequencing technique which allowed them to examine the genes expressed in high iron pea plants, which they then compared to the genes in wild type plants of normal iron level. Using computational mapping techniques, the team of researchers identified the mutations, and their location within the pea genome. They thus identified the changes in the genetic code that have led to the development of these high-iron phenotypes. The research has unravelled a long mystery surrounding the mutations linked to iron content. Plants regulate their iron intake, as too much is lethal. Thus, the two mutations have given the researchers a key insight into how plants are able to store vast quantities of iron, yet still regulate it enough that they do not take on too much. Scientists have long known ...