Quinoa, a member of spinach, is a grain of international interest that the United Nations has designated 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa."This time, the successful decoding of the quinoa genome (biological blueprint), also known as a superfood, was reported.It is said to be the result of joint research by the Japan International Research Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (JIRCAS), Kyoto University, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Ishikawa Prefectural University, and Actry Co., Ltd.
Quinoa is a crop native to the Andean region of South America.It is highly adaptable to various adverse environments such as drought, and has abundant nutritional value and excellent nutritional balance.Therefore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO) is the key to solving the world's food problems, and NASA is paying attention to it as food for astronauts.However, since it is prone to hybrids and has a complicated genomic structure (heteropolyploid), detailed analysis at the gene level has not progressed sufficiently.
This time, the joint research group established a standard self-fertilized strain (pure strain) suitable for molecular analysis, and extracted all DNA from that strain. Using two types of sequence decoding devices (next-generation sequencers), the genome outline sequence (approximate sequence) was decoded.In addition, the quinoa genome database created based on this decoding information is released.Using this database, we clarified the existence of genes that play an important role during drought and salt damage and genes that are involved in virus infection protection.With these results, it is said that the research base at the genetic level, which is essential for the rapid progress of quinoa research, has been established.
The joint research group is aiming to develop crops that are resistant to adverse environments and to improve nutrition in Africa and other parts of the world.By utilizing the mechanism that supports quinoa's high environmental adaptability and excellent nutritional properties, it hopes to improve crop varieties such as rice and wheat.
