Chemometric Classification of Different Tree Peony Species Native to China Based on the Assessment of Major Fatty Acids of Seed Oil and Phenotypic Characteristics of the Seeds

In the present study, we quantitatively measured five major fatty acids (FA) in seed oil using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and examined four phenotypic characteristics of the seeds from 19 populations from nine wild tree peony species native to China. The results showed that the unsaturated FAs contents were dominant, of which α‐linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid, and oleic acid (OA) contents ranged from 14.84 to 42.54 g/100 g, 7.33 to 19.66 g/100 g, and 15.07 – 35.31 g/100 g crude oil, respectively. The phenotypic seed characteristics, such as thousand seed weight (244.01 – 1772.91 g), seed volume (91.31 – 1000.79 mm³), weight rate of kernel and coat (1.29 – 3.62) and oil extraction ratio (20.32 – 34.69%), dramatically varied. Based on the contents of the five FAs, the nine species were classified into two groups. The species belonging to subsection Vaginatae were arranged in cluster I and were characterized by high ALA content. Cluster II, consistent with subsection Delavayanae, had a high OA content. From horizontal and vertical perspectives, the natural distribution areas of these two groups were different, reflecting differences in the FA contents and phenotypic seed characteristics. In conclusion, the FAs composition could be used as a chemotaxonomic marker for tree peony species.     

Fatty Acid Patterns of Seeds of Some Salvia Species from Iran – A Chemotaxonomic Approach

In this study, the seed oil content and fatty acid (FA) profile of 21 populations from 16 wild Salvia species of Iran were analyzed by GC. Patterns of chemical variations of the oils among species were identified via numerical analyses and also the taxonomic status of the infrageneric grouping was outlined in the genus. Salvia species were scored based on the contents of main FAs using principal coordinate analysis (PCO). The results showed that the total oil content in the seeds varied significantly, and ranged from 6.68 to 38.53% dry weight. α‐Linolenic (18:3ω3, 1.69 – 53.56%), linoleic (18:2ω6, 13.04 – 60.64%), oleic (18:1ω9, 6.15 – 27.06%), palmitic (16:0, 3.77 – 9.27%), and stearic (18:0, 1.78 – 3.05%) acid were identified as five major FAs in the oils. The amount of ω‐3 and ω‐6 FAs ranged between 1.90 – 53.80% and 13.46 – 60.83% of total FAs in the seed oils, respectively. The results confirmed that FA profiles were distinctive among the species and that they can be used as chemotaxonomic markers. The discrimination of Salvia species according to their botanical classification at intersectional level was supported. In general, seed oils of Salvia species were rich sources of polyunsaturated FAs, except in linoleic and α‐linolenic acid, and may be valuable for food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Phenotypic Characteristics and Fatty Acid Composition of Seeds from Different Herbaceous Peony Species Native to China

Herbaceous peony has been widely cultivated in China due to its substantial ornamental and medicinal value. In the present study, the phenotypic characteristics, total fatty acid (FA) content, and nine FA compositions of herbaceous peony seeds from 14 populations belonging to six species and one subspecies were determined by normal test and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that the phenotypic characteristics of seeds varied dramatically among species. The concentrations of five major FAs in seed oils were as follows: linoleic acid (173.95–236.51 μg/mg), linolenic acid (227.82–302.71 μg/mg), oleic acid (135.32–208.81 μg/mg), stearic acid (6.52–11.7 μg/mg), and palmitic acid (30.67–47.64 μg/mg). Correlation analysis demonstrated that oleic acid had the highest partial correlation coefficient with total FAs and might be applied to develop a model of phenotypic characteristics. FAs were significantly influenced by the following environmental factors: latitude, elevation, and annual average temperature. Based on the FA levels in the seed oils, clustering analysis divided 14 populations into two clusters. It was found that the average contents of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and total FAs in cluster I (147.16 μg/mg, 200.31 μg/mg, and 671.24 μg/mg, respectively) were significantly lower than those in cluster II (196.65 μg/mg, 220.16 μg/mg, and 741.78 μg/mg, respectively). Cluster I was perfectly consistent with subsect. Foliolatae, while cluster II was in good agreement with subsect. Dissectifoliae. Therefore, the FA composition of wild herbaceous peony seed oil might be used as a chemotaxonomic marker.     

Dynamic Metabolic Profiles and Tissue-Specific Source Effects on the Metabolome of Developing Seeds of Brassica napus

Canola (Brassica napus) is one of several important oil-producing crops, and the physiological processes, enzymes, and genes involved in oil synthesis in canola seeds have been well characterized. However, relatively little is known about the dynamic metabolic changes that occur during oil accumulation in seeds, as well as the mechanistic origins of metabolic changes. To explore the metabolic changes that occur during oil accumulation, we isolated metabolites from both seed and silique wall and identified and characterized them by using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that a total of 443 metabolites were identified from four developmental stages. Dozens of these metabolites were differentially expressed during seed ripening, including 20 known to be involved in seed development. To investigate the contribution of tissue-specific carbon sources to the biosynthesis of these metabolites, we examined the metabolic changes of silique walls and seeds under three treatments: leaf-detachment (Ld), phloem-peeling (Pe), and selective silique darkening (Sd). Our study demonstrated that the oil content was independent of leaf photosynthesis and phloem transport during oil accumulation, but required the metabolic influx from the silique wall. Notably, Sd treatment resulted in seed senescence, which eventually led to a severe reduction of the oil content. Sd treatment also caused a significant accumulation of fatty acids (FA), organic acids and amino acids. Furthermore, an unexpected accumulation of sugar derivatives and organic acid was observed in the Pe- and Sd-treated seeds. Consistent with this, the expression of a subset of genes involved in FA metabolism, sugar and oil storage was significantly altered in Pe and Sd treated seeds. Taken together, our studies suggest the metabolite profiles of canola seeds dynamically varied during the course of oil accumulation, which may provide a new insight into the mechanisms of the oil accumulation at the metabolite level.     

气象因子对油菜种子中油分积累的影响

选取2个甘蓝型油菜(Brassica napus)高油材料XZ37(含油量45.29%)和XZ366(含油量43.48%), 分别种植在南京、拉萨和西宁, 探讨种子发育过程中油分积累的差异, 并分析南京、拉萨和西宁3个地理生态环境下油菜花–角果期间的主要气象因子与种子油分之间的相关性及其对种子油分积累的影响。结果表明, 不同生态地区间种子中油分积累差异显著。在西宁种子油分快速积累始于开花后19天, 持续时长15天; 在南京种子油分快速积累始于开花后24天, 持续时长15天; 在拉萨种子油分快速积累始于开花后29天, 持续时间长达20天。研究显示, 日均温度、日均温差、日均降水量是影响甘蓝型油菜种子发育过程中油分积累的主要气候因子。不同地理生态地区, 影响油菜种子中油分积累的主要气候因子不同。日均温度是影响南京地区种子发育过程中油分积累的主要气候因子。该地区油菜开花后, 气温由低到高呈上升趋势, 成熟后期温度偏高, 不利于种子中油分积累。日均温差和日均降水量是影响拉萨和西宁两地种子油分积累的主要气候因子。两地种子发育过程中日均温差大, 种子中油分积累量大, 但由于拉萨日均降水量高于西宁, 日均温度偏低, 种子油分积累量低于西宁。因此, 在油菜种子发育过程中, 适宜的温度、较大的温差和较少的降水有利于种子积累油分, 并形成较高的含油量。     

Fatty acid composition of the seed lipids of Chamaerops humilis L. natural populations and its relation with the environment

Seed lipids composition is a tool to discriminate among plant taxa and is related to phylogeny and biogeographic distribution. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the fatty acid (FA) composition of the seed lipids from nine natural Chamaerops humilis L. population and its relation with the climatic traits of the collection sites. The average seed lipids content was 54.8 g kg^? 1 and the most represented FAs were oleic (478 g kg^? 1 oil) and linoleic (230 g kg^? 1 oil), with significant differences among the accessions. Most of the lipid traits significantly correlated with climatic traits. In particular, oleic acid negatively correlated with year potential evapotranspiration. These relations could emerge from a genotypic adaptation to the environment. The seed of C. humilis showed high content of lipids, which implies an importance of the species for feeding wild life during winter, and a high degree of unsaturation. Considering the importance of the unsaturated FAs in human and animal nutrition, the present results suggest that European fan palm could be introduced in breeding programmes and its seed extract used as FA in diet supplementation. Further studies are needed to identify the content of anti-nutritional or nutraceutical compounds.     

Castor phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase facilitates efficient metabolism of hydroxy fatty acids in transgenic Arabidopsis

Producing unusual fatty acids (FAs) in crop plants has been a long-standing goal of green chemistry. However, expression of the enzymes that catalyze the primary synthesis of these unusual FAs in transgenic plants typically results in low levels of the desired FA. For example, seed-specific expression of castor (Ricinus communis) fatty acid hydroxylase (RcFAH) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) resulted in only 17% hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) in the seed oil. In order to increase HFA levels, we investigated castor phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT). We cloned cDNAs encoding three putative PDAT enzymes from a castor seed cDNA library and coexpressed them with RcFAH12. One isoform, RcPDAT1A, increased HFA levels to 27%. Analysis of HFA-triacylglycerol molecular species and regiochemistry, along with analysis of the HFA content of phosphatidylcholine, indicates that RcPDAT1A functions as a PDAT in vivo. Expression of RcFAH12 alone leads to a significant decrease in FA content of seeds. Coexpression of RcPDAT1A and RcDGAT2 (for diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2) with RcFAH12 restored FA levels to nearly wild-type levels, and this was accompanied by a major increase in the mass of HFAs accumulating in the seeds. We show the usefulness of RcPDAT1A for engineering plants with high levels of HFAs and alleviating bottlenecks due to the production of unusual FAs in transgenic oilseeds.     

Dynamics of Fatty‐Acid Composition of Neutral Acylglycerols in Maturing Euonymus Fruits

The dynamics of the fatty‐acid (FA) composition of neutral acylglycerols (NAGs) composed of 1,2,3‐triacyl‐sn‐glycerols (TAGs) and 3‐acetyl‐1,2‐diacyl‐sn‐glycerols (acDAGs) was determined in the fruit seeds and arils of three Euonymus L. species at three stages of their maturity. The NAG composition comprised 29 FAs, linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and α‐linolenic acids being predominant. Noticeable amounts of other FAs, such as lauric, myristic, hexadec‐9‐enoic, stearic, (Z)‐vaccenic, and arachidic acid, etc., could also be present. In the course of maturation, the qualitative composition of major FAs remained nearly unchanged, while the unsaturation index of FAs in seeds and in TAGs, as well as, but to a lesser extent, in arils and in acDAGs, respectively, always decreased. This decline was brought about by a sharp fall of the α‐linolenate level, a decrease of the linoleate content, and a corresponding rise in the oleate content. It is suggested that, in both seeds and arils, both classes of NAGs were formed at the expense of the same FA pool; the quantitative composition of this pool was characteristic of a given fruit part and strongly changed during maturation. The accumulation of TAGs in E. europaeus fruits was accompanied by a conversion of hexadec‐9‐enoic acid into (Z)‐vaccenic acid via the C₂‐elongation reaction.     

樟树长链脂肪酰基CoA合成酶基因9克隆与表达分析

该研究以樟树转录组数据为基础,筛选克隆了拟南芥AtLACS9同源候选基因CcLACS9,二者序列相似性为75%。相关软件预测CcLACS9享有植物LACS亚家族成员3个特征motifs,且N端含有定位质体信手肽。在Δlacs缺陷型酵母互补测试中,以油酸作为唯一外源脂肪酸、转化了CcLACS9的突变型酵母恢复正常生长,证明CcLACS9具有典型的脂肪酰基CoA合成酶的功能。为探究CcLACS9是否参与了樟树籽油生物合成,进一步研究了其组织表达模式和在种子发育过程中其表达量与籽油累积量之间的关系。实时荧光定量PCR分析显示CcLACS9基因在种仁与花中优势表达,种仁中相对表达量是根中的17.74倍。随机测定了30棵成年樟树成熟期种子千粒重、籽油含量和中链脂肪酸比例等指标。根据仁油含量将测试群体划为高、中、低三个不同品级,并在各品级中挑选3棵单株、逐月关联分析其仁油含量与CcLACS9相对表达量。结果表明:在种仁发育前期,仁油含量和CcLACS9表达量都持续上升且二者呈正相关性,8月份为CcLACS9表达量峰值期; 9月下旬后,仁油含量趋向稳定但CcLACS9表达量仍处于较高水平但呈现下降趋势,二者无明显相关性。LACS亚家族在植物进化中较为保守,同源基因在不同植物中具有相同或相似的功能。该研究结果暗示CcLACS9可能拥有AtLACS9相似的生物学功能,即在樟树种仁油酯合成和累积过程中起重要作用。     

Does a large-scale continuous algal production system provide a stable supply of fatty acids to bivalve hatcheries?

The variation of fatty acid (FA) content and composition of the microalgal production (Isochrysis sp., Pavlova lutheri and Chaetoceros muelleri) in a continuous large-scale production system (500-L bags) used in hatcheries were analysed. The variation of the FAs was analysed in replicate bags over time for the different species. Total FA content (pg cell⁻¹) increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the P. lutheri and C. muelleri bags over time. The content of the essential FAs (arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), n-6 docosapentaenoic acid (n-6 DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) increased over time in all of the species, except for DHA in Isochrysis sp. The content of EPA and ARA were highest in C. muelleri, whilst n-6 DPA and DHA were highest in Isochrysis sp. The FA composition in the C. muelleri bags showed large variability between bags at the beginning of the experiment, but decreased over time. In contrast, the FA composition of Isochrysis sp. and P. lutheri did not vary much over time, but larger variability was observed between the replicate bags. The results indicate that, even though the essential polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) varied between the different species, the total microalgal production secured a stable and increased supply of all the essential PUFAs to the scallop larvae and spat.     

Fruit Spray of 24-Epibrassinolide and Fruit Shade Alter Pericarp Photosynthesis Activity and Seed Lipid Accumulation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Styrax tonkinensis</Emphasis>

As demand for biofuel feedstock production increases, the substitutable woody oilseed benzoin (Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartwich) has received increased attention among Chinese researchers. However, the mechanism of seed oil regulation has not been revealed in this species. Maternal control of seed lipid content has been observed in many plant species. In this study, in planta treatments were applied to create different pericarp photosynthesis activation levels in benzoin. Compared with fruit shading treatment, superior photosynthetic physiological characteristics were found in the brassinosteroid hormone 24-epibrassinolide-treated pericarps during maturation (56–112 days after flowering); specifically, these superior characteristics were reflected by higher average and peak values of the Chl a/b ratio, NADPH/NADP⁺ ratio, NADP-dependent malate dehydrogenase activity, and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity. Next, we found that the pericarp-encapsulated seed yield and oil content were closely connected to the maternal-specific photosynthetic events. The enhanced pericarp photosynthesis activity (treated with 10 μM brassinosteroid) was accompanied by higher fatty acid synthase activity and a faster lipid deposition rate, which was verified by transmission electron microscopy. These changes led to a final increase in the total fatty acid (FA) content of mature seeds of 19%, which could be largely accounted for by the elevated saturated FA (mostly long-chain FAs) percentage in benzoin oil. When benzoin fruits grew in low light (bagged in three layers of black non-woven fabrics), lipid synthesis capability was markedly impaired. The dynamics of cellular storage reserves were further analyzed, suggesting that the pericarp-seed carbohydrate translocation efficiency in fruits and the carbon partitioning among seed reserves were directly responsible for the seed oil diversification under the treatments. Taken together, our results highlighted the maternal control, via pericarp photosynthesis, over the regulation of the seed oil content in benzoin.     

wrinkled1: A Novel, Low-Seed-Oil Mutant of Arabidopsis with a Deficiency in the Seed-Specific Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism

During oil deposition in developing seeds of Arabidopsis, photosynthate is imported in the form of carbohydrates into the embryo and converted to triacylglycerols. To identify genes essential for this process and to investigate the molecular basis for the developmental regulation of oil accumulation, mutants producing wrinkled, incompletely filled seeds were isolated. A novel mutant locus, wrinkled1 (wri1), which maps to the bottom of chromosome 3 and causes an 80% reduction in seed oil content, was identified. Wild-type and homozygous wri1 mutant plantlets or mature plants were indistinguishable. However, developing homozygous wri1 seeds were impaired in the incorporation of sucrose and glucose into triacylglycerols, but incorporated pyruvate and acetate at an increased rate. Because the activities of several glycolytic enzymes, in particular hexokinase and pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase, are reduced in developing homozygous wri1 seeds, it is suggested that WRI1 is involved in the developmental regulation of carbohydrate metabolism during seed filling.