--- title: "Cell: The team of Chen Xiaoya and Gao Caixia successfully designed crops that produce coenzyme Q10, providing more dietary nutrition sources for humanity" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/228286158.md" description: "Chen Xiaoya and Gao Caixia's team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences published research in the journal \"Cell,\" successfully modifying the Coq1 gene in rice and wheat through gene editing technology, enabling them to synthesize coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and providing more dietary nutritional sources for humans. CoQ10 is crucial for energy production and is commonly used to promote cardiovascular health. The study reveals the evolutionary history of CoQ forms in plants and points out that most flowering plants primarily synthesize CoQ10, while CoQ9 has independently evolved in specific environments" datetime: "2025-02-14T04:45:24.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/228286158.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/228286158.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/228286158.md) --- # Cell: The team of Chen Xiaoya and Gao Caixia successfully designed crops that produce coenzyme Q10, providing more dietary nutrition sources for humanity Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is an electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, crucial for energy production. Humans primarily synthesize CoQ10 (with a side chain containing 10 isoprene units), while many grains and vegetable crops mainly synthesize CoQ9. CoQ10 is a widely used dietary supplement, often used to promote cardiovascular health. However, as humans age or use statins (common medications that lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular diseases), the levels of CoQ10 in the body decline. Coq1 is a trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthase that synthesizes the polyisoprene side chain of CoQ, thereby determining the form of CoQ. Therefore, by genetically editing the _Coq1_ gene in crops to enable them to synthesize CoQ10, it can provide humans with more dietary sources of CoQ10. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Coq1 regulates and determines the length of the CoQ side chain remain unclear. On February 13, 2025, the team led by Chen Xiaoya at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborated with the team led by Gao Caixia at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to publish a research paper titled: _Design of CoQ10 crops based on evolutionary history_ in the international top academic journal _Cell_. This study revealed the evolutionary history of CoQ forms in plants through systematic evolutionary analysis and gene editing technology, successfully modifying the _Coq1_ gene in rice and wheat to enable them to synthesize CoQ10, thereby providing more dietary nutritional sources for humans. In this latest study, the research team found that most flowering plants (about 70%) primarily synthesize CoQ10, while CoQ9 has independently evolved in multiple plant lineages. The evolution of CoQ9 may be related to the adaptability of herbaceous plants under specific environmental conditions. Herbaceous plants such as Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Cucurbitaceae mainly synthesize CoQ9, and these plants exhibit higher adaptability in environments with drought, heat, and significant seasonal variations The study also found that the 240th amino acid of the _Coq1_ gene is a key site determining the length of the CoQ side chain. When this site is leucine (Leu) or valine (Val), plants synthesize CoQ10; when it is isoleucine (Ile) or methionine (Met), they synthesize CoQ9. Based on the above findings, the research team successfully edited the _Coq1_ gene in rice and wheat through Prime Editing, enabling them to synthesize CoQ10. The modified rice and wheat showed a significant increase in CoQ10 content in both leaves and grains, without affecting their growth and yield. Overall, this study reveals the evolutionary history of CoQ forms in plants through systematic evolutionary analysis and gene editing technology, and successfully modified the _Coq1_ gene in rice and wheat to enable the synthesis of CoQ10, thereby providing more dietary nutritional sources for humans. This research not only helps to improve the nutritional value of crops but also provides an important theoretical basis and technical support for future crop improvement and nutritional enhancement ### Related Stocks - [300146.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/300146.CN.md) ## Related News & Research - [Lighthouse Canton favors EM high-yield sovereigns as developed-market fiscal risks rise](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296183818.md) - [Gavin Newsom is bailing out utility companies — and abandoning wildfire victims](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296006623.md) - [Hong Kong-based IT and marketing services firm Ray Maple files for a $25 million US IPO](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296242445.md) - [10:41 ETGameChange Energy Breaks Ground on Major EHV Transformer Factory Expansion -- Securing Critical Power Infrastructure for Customers Worldwide](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296244614.md) - [Newfoundland and Quebec strike updated deal on electricity generation](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296130442.md)