Mushrooms genetically engineered to produce provitamin A carotenoids including α-carotene, β-carotene, γ-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin are provided. In some embodiments, mushrooms are transformed with genes that encode enzymes that have phytoene synthase, pyhtoene dehydrogenase and lycopene cyclase activities and function to convert GGPP to one or more provitamin A carotenoids. Mushrooms are transformed using known methods, including Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic mushrooms producing provitamin A carotenoids are useful to treat, alleviate, reduce, and/or inhibit one or more symptoms of a disease or disorder associated with vitamin A deficiency (VAD).
