We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
RNA interference: Producing decaffeinated coffee plants.
- Authors
Ogita, Shinjiro; Uefuji, Hirotaka; Yamaguchi, Yube; Koizumi, Nozomu; Sano, Hiroshi
- Abstract
The demand for decaffeinated coffee is increasing because the stimulatory effects of caffeine can adversely affect sensitive individuals by triggering palpitations, increased blood pressure and insomnia. Three N-methyltransferase enzymes are involved in caffeine biosynthesis in coffee plants - CaXMT1, CaMXMT1 (theobromine synthase) and CaDXMT1 (caffeine synthase), which successively add methyl groups to xanthosine in converting it into caffeine. Here we describe the construction of transgenic coffee plants in which expression of the gene encoding theobromine synthase (CaMXMT1) is repressed by RNA interference (RNAi). The caffeine content of these plants is reduced by up to 70%, indicating that it should be feasible to produce coffee beans that are intrinsically deficient in caffeine.
- Subjects
TRANSGENIC plants; COFFEE; RNA
- Publication
Nature, 2003, Vol 423, Issue 6942, p823
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/423823a