Abstract
BackgroundTransgenic expression of small RNAs is a prevalent approach in agrobiotechnology for the global enhancement of plant foods. Meanwhile, emerging studies have, on the one hand, emphasized the potential of transgenic microRNAs (miRNAs) as novel dietary therapeutics and, on the other, suggested potential food safety issues if harmful miRNAs are absorbed and bioactive. For these reasons, it is necessary to evaluate the bioavailability of transgenic miRNAs in genetically modified crops.ResultsAs a pilot study, two transgenic Arabidopsis lines ectopically expressing unique miRNAs were compared and contrasted with the plant bioavailable small RNA MIR2911 for digestive stability and serum bioavailability. The expression levels of these transgenic miRNAs in Arabidopsis were found to be comparable to that of MIR2911 in fresh tissues. Assays of digestive stability in vitro and in vivo suggested the transgenic miRNAs and MIR2911 had comparable resistance to degradation. Healthy mice consuming diets rich in Arabidopsis lines expressing these miRNAs displayed MIR2911 in the bloodstream but no detectable levels of the transgenic miRNAs.ConclusionsThese preliminary results imply digestive stability and high expression levels of miRNAs in plants do not readily equate to bioavailability. This initial work suggests novel engineering strategies be employed to enhance miRNA bioavailability when attempting to use transgenic foods as a delivery platform.
Highlights
Transgenic expression of small RNAs is a prevalent approach in agrobiotechnology for the global enhancement of plant foods
Levels of transgenic miRNAs in plants Arabidopsis was used for creating transgenic foods as it is a well-characterized model system [35]
For mmumiR146a, plant lines that showed the most robust expression were used for further studies (Additional file 2: Figure S2). qRT-PCR quantification results demonstrated that the expression levels of amiR-RICE and mmumiR146a reached levels of 22.9 and 26.3 fmol/g of fresh weight, respectively, which is similar to the levels of MIR2911 in fresh shoot tissues (Fig. 1)
Summary
Transgenic expression of small RNAs is a prevalent approach in agrobiotechnology for the global enhancement of plant foods. Emerging studies have, on the one hand, emphasized the potential of transgenic microRNAs (miRNAs) as novel dietary therapeutics and, on the other, suggested potential food safety issues if harmful miRNAs are absorbed and bioactive. For these reasons, it is necessary to evaluate the bioavailability of transgenic miRNAs in genetically modified crops. Both the safety and therapeutic potential of transgenic RNAs in GM crops should be thoughtfully addressed [6] Both microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are classes of small RNAs (sRNAs) that regulate gene expression [7]. The uptake of GM diet-derived RNAs in controlled animal feeding studies should be carefully examined in order to establish guidelines for risk assessment and therapeutic applications
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