William Atkins
Monday, 27 October 2008 22:46
Science -
Health
Page 2 of 3
The researchers first added the two genes "Delila" and "Rosea1" to the tomatoes.
They then fed a powder obtained from the purple tomatoes to two groups of mice: one group that did not have the Trp53 (sometimes abbreviated p53) gene (which helps to fight cancer) and a second group that possessed the p53 gene.
Their abstract stated,
“When we expressed two transcription factors from snapdragon in tomato, the fruit of the plants accumulated anthocyanins at levels substantially higher than previously reported for efforts to engineer anthocyanin accumulation in tomato and at concentrations comparable to the anthocyanin levels found in blackberries and blueberries.”
The researchers found that the p53 cancer-fighting group lived longer. In fact, they live, on average, 182 days compared to the 142 days, on average, for the mouse group did not have the p53 gene.
The researchers stated in their abstract,
“Expression of the two transgenes enhanced the hydrophilic antioxidant capacity of tomato fruit threefold and resulted in fruit with intense purple coloration in both peel and flesh. In a pilot test, cancer-susceptible Trp53-/- mice fed a diet supplemented with the high-anthocyanin tomatoes showed a significant extension of life span.”
One of the authors of the research study is Eugenio Butelli, from the John Innes Centre in Colney Norwich, the United Kingdom. He stated, “
The two genes we have isolated are responsible for flower pigmentation and, when introduced in other plants, turned out to be the perfect combination to produce anthocyanins, the same phytochemical found in blueberries.” [Washington Post: “
Purple Tomato Extended Lives of Cancer-Prone Mice”]
Dr. Butelli and the research team performed tests on their modified tomatoes and found that the
“purple tomato has a very high antioxidant activity, almost tripled in comparison to the natural fruit.” [Washington Post]
Page three discusses future benefits from this research.
