Comparative transcriptome analysis of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) with oilseed crops to identify genes involved in seed oil quantity and quality

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.Sc., Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Imam Khomeini International University (IKIU), Qazvin, Iran.

2 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture & Natural Resourses, , Imam Khomeini International University (IKIU)

3 Associate Professor, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran.

4 Researcher, Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.

10.30473/cb.2025.71265.1968

Abstract

This study aimed to identify genes involved in seed growth and development using RNA-Seq and comparative transcriptomics. For this purpose, the transcriptome data of oilseed plants safflower, camelina, and soybean were extracted from relevant databases. After checking the quality of the data, they were edited, cleaned, and reassembled using the reference genome. Annotation of genes involved in seed fatty acid biosynthesis by identifying Arabidopsis homologs and then analyzing differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was performed. Genes with differential expression during seed development stages were identified, and in this way genes with significant expression and involved in seed fatty acid metabolism and synthesis pathways were extracted. Finally, the relationship between genes was drawn by protein-protein interaction network, and based on this, FAD2, FATB, and ACX4 genes were found to be effective in the lipid biosynthesis pathway during filling and maturation stages. In these plants in the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway, NPC3, PDAT1, and LPAT1 genes showed significant differential expression during the start of seed growth and seed filling stages. The results showed that SDP1 and LPAT5 genes have an increased expression in the maturation stage compared to seed formation. In the fatty acid elongation pathway, KCS5 and C86A1 genes, in the fatty acid degradation pathway AIM1 gene, and in the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway FABH gene showed significant expression in the seed filling and maturation stages. Based on the protein-protein interaction network and gene relationships, it is likely that FAD2, FATB, and PDAT1 genes play a key role in seed development and oil biosynthesis.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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