High-amylose wheat generated by RNA interference improves indices of large-bowel health in rats

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 103; no. 10; pp. 3546 - 3551
• Main Authors: Regina, A, Bird, A, Topping, D, Bowden, S, Freeman, J, Barsby, T, Kosar-Hashemi, B, Li, Z, Rahman, S, Morell, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 07.03.2006; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: 1,4-alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme - antagonists & inhibitors; 1,4-alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme - genetics; 1,4-alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme - metabolism; amylose; Amylose - metabolism; Animals; Biological Sciences; Biology; carbohydrate content; Carbohydrates; cecum; Corn; Diet; Digesta; digestion; Endosperm; Enzymes; Fatty acids; food intake; Food, Genetically Modified; gastrointesinal health; gene silencing; Genetic Engineering; genetically modified foods; Glucans - chemistry; Health; Health Status; hexosyltransferases; Humans; Industrial research; Intestine, Large - metabolism; Isoenzymes - antagonists & inhibitors; Isoenzymes - genetics; Isoenzymes - metabolism; large intestine; Male; Plants, Genetically Modified; Protein isoforms; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Regional identity; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA Interference; Rodents; short chain fatty acids; Small intestine; Starch - chemistry; Starch - metabolism; starch branching enzyme; Starches; Transgenic plants; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - metabolism; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; wheat starch
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0510737103

Foods high in resistant starch have the potential to improve human health and lower the risk of serious noninfectious diseases. RNA interference was used to down-regulate the two different isoforms of starch-branching enzyme (SBE) II (SBEIIa and SBEIIb) in wheat endosperm to raise its amylose content. Suppression of SBEIIb expression alone had no effect on amylose content; however, suppression of both SBEIIa and SBEIIb expression resulted in starch containing >70% amylose. When the >70% amylose wheat grain was fed to rats in a diet as a wholemeal, several indices of large-bowel function, including short-chain fatty acids, were improved relative to standard wholemeal wheat. These results indicate that this high-amylose wheat has a significant potential to improve human health through its resistant starch content.