holding a sugar beet
Credit: Lund University
Biochemists have found evidence to suggest that sugar beets can be used to create a substitute for human hemoglobin.
While studying the genome of the sugar beet, the researchers identified 4 hemoglobin genes—3 non-symbiotic genes (BvHb1.1, BvHb1.2, and BvHb2) and 1 truncated gene (BvHb3).
The team then discovered they could extract hemoglobin from sugar beets using a process that’s about as simple as the one used to extract sugar.
The researchers cloned the hemoglobin genes and inserted them into bacteria, which facilitates their expression and purification.
The group described the gene discovery in Plant and Cell Physiology. Study author Nélida Leiva-Eriksson, a doctoral student at Lund University in Sweden, disclosed additional details in her dissertation. And a short video on the research is available on YouTube.
The researchers discovered that the hemoglobin extracted from sugar beets is almost identical to human hemoglobin, especially the form of hemoglobin in the brain.
“There is a difference in a small detail on the surface of the protein, but this simply appears to extend the lifespan of the hemoglobin from sugar beet, which is good news,” Leiva-Eriksson said.
On the other hand, sugar beet hemoglobin has a completely different function from human hemoglobin.
“We have found that the hemoglobin in the plant binds nitric oxide,” Leiva-Eriksson said. “It is probably needed to keep certain processes in check, for example, so that the nitric oxide doesn’t become toxic, and to ward off bacteria.”
The researchers are planning to start testing the sugar beet hemoglobin in animal experiments in just over a year.
The team said there is good reason to think hemoglobin derived from sugar beets and other crops could become a realistic alternative to human hemoglobin.
“From 1 hectare, we could produce 1 to 2 tons of hemoglobin,” said Leif Bülow, PhD, of Lund University, “which could save thousands of lives.”
