Stable integration, expression and inheritance of the ferritin gene in transgenic elite indica rice cultivar BR29 with enhanced iron level in the endosperm

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major crop providing staple diet for more than half of the world's population, but it does not fulfill the recommended daily dietary allowance. Moreover, milling of rice grain causes considerable losses of nutrients, including iron. Iron deficiency is a global nutritional problem. About 3.5 billion people in the developing world suffer from iron-deficiency anemia, of which 50% is dietary in origin. To increase iron storage in rice, we introduced the ferritin gene driven by an endosperm-specific glutelin promoter into a Bangladeshi rice cultivar, BRRl Dhan 29 (BR29), using the biolistic method. Analysis demonstrated integration, inheritance and expression of the ferritin gene up to the T3 generation. The iron content in seeds was estimated by using the ICP (Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma) Spectrometer. All transgenic plants accumulated higher levels of iron in the grain, with as much as 9.2 mg/kg versus the control (3.8 mg/kg). A histochemical reaction of the thin microtome section revealed the presence of iron in the endosperm cells of the transgenic grain. This finding suggests that homozygous rice lines with enhanced iron content developed by genetic engineering could help overcome iron deficiency in developing countries.