Context: As modern diets fall short in vital micronutrients, scientists are turning to gene-edited crops to naturally boost essential compounds like Coenzyme Q10.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Applications of Gene Editing.
What are Coenzymes?
- Enzymes are proteins that catalyse reactions in a cell (like digestion, energy production etc.), making metabolism efficient. For efficient functioning, many enzymes require some molecules as cofactors. These helper molecules are called coenzymes.
- Coenzymes are naturally occurring organic molecules that bind with enzymes and support the activity of enzymes.
Coenzyme Q
- Coenzyme Q, also known as Ubiquinone, is a very special coenzyme found in every cell of our body, especially in the mitochondria (the cell’s energy factory).
- It has several isoprene units helping Coenzyme Q to act as an antioxidant (protecting our cells from damage caused by stress and harmful molecules). There are 10 types of Coenzyme Q, named CoQ1 to CoQ10, based on how many isoprene units they have.
Bioengineered Rice for CoQ10:
- CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) is a very important molecule in our body. It helps in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, a process that makes energy inside our cells. Since organs like the heart, brain, and muscles need a lot of energy, they also have high levels of CoQ10. Daily foods (rice, wheat, and maize) mostly contain CoQ9, not enough CoQ10. So, scientists are trying to engineer plants to produce more CoQ10 to meet health needs.
- Producing CoQ10: Researchers in Japan genetically engineered rice plants to produce CoQ10. They engineered the gene called ‘DdsA’ in rice plants to produce CoQ10, using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique.
- Significance: Bioengineered crops can improve global nutrition naturally. It can thus reduce dependence on synthetic supplements and can turn farms into natural factories by producing antioxidant supplements.