Elevation of the provitamin A content of transgenic tomato plants 

 -  Nature Biotechnology, 18(6), p.666-669, 2000 .
<br/><br/> Tomato products are the principal dietary sources of lycopene and major source of b-carotene, both of which have been shown to benefit human health. To enhance the carotenoid content and profile of tomato fruit, we have produced transgenic lines containing a bacterial carotenoid gene (crtI)encoding the enzyme phytoene desaturase, which converts phytoene into lycopene. Expression of this gene in transgenic tomatoes did not elevate total carotenoid levels. However, the b-carotene content increased about threefold, up to 45 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY<br/>NUTRICEUTICALS<br/>METABOLIC ENGINEERING