After the first complete decoding of the carrot genome, scientists have pinpointed the gene - dubbed DCAR_032551 - that gives rise to carotenoids, an important source of Vitamin A and the pigments responsible for the bright orange color of carrots. In addition, they are responsible for the bright orange or red colors in various other fruits and vegetables.
"Vitamin A deficiency is a global health challenge," the study reads. "Its plentiful carotenoids make carrot an important source of provitamin A in the human diet."
As you can deduce from their name, carrots led to the discovery of carotenoids, but until now the specific gene in the vegetable's 32,115 in total that was responsible for its formation was not known.
Carrots (Daucus carota) are now a part of a group of vegetables, including the potato, cucumber, tomato and pepper, whose complete genomes have been sequenced. Understanding the genome of the carrot in particular will help scientists on their quest for enhancing disease resistance and nutritive value in other species.
Now that scientists know which gene is responsible for the creation of carotenoids, they might be able to use gene-editing techniques to move it into other root vegetables such as cassava.
"These results will facilitate biological discovery and crop improvement in carrots and other crops," said Philipp Simon, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and senior author of the study.
Carotenoids are an important source of Vitamin A, which is essential for normal growth and development and immune system function. Furthermore, they are antioxidants believed to have protective effects against heart disease and cancer.
"Some of these compounds can prevent disease," Simon said.
Interestingly, carrots were originally white, and the vegetable's wild ancestors likely stemmed from central Asia. Analysis of the planet's family tree reveals that it split with the grape approximately 113 million years ago and from the kiwi around 10 million years after that during a time when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth.
Current global crop production of the carrot is quadruple what it was 40 years ago, and the vegetable is eaten in meals all around the world.
The findings were published in the May 9 issue of Nature Genetics.
