AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Commun Biol. 2019 Mar 4;2:87. doi: 10.1038/s42003-019-0289-6. eCollection 2019.
Perennial ryegrass () is integral to temperate pastoral agriculture, which contributes most of the milk and meat production worldwide. Chemical profiles and diversity of ryegrass offer several opportunities to harness specific traits and elucidate underlying biological mechanisms for forage improvement. We conducted a large-scale metabolomics study of perennial ryegrass comprising 715 genotypes, representing 118 populations from 21 countries. Liquid/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based targeted and non-targeted techniques were used to analyse fructan oligosaccharides, lipids, fatty acid methyl esters, polar and semi-polar compounds. Fructan diversity across all genotypes was evaluated, high- and low-sugar groups identified, and fructan accumulation mechanisms explored. Metabolites differentiating the two groups were characterised, modules and pathways they represent deduced, and finally, visualisation and interpretation provided in a biological context. We also demonstrate a workflow for large-scale metabolomics studies from raw data through to statistical and pathway analysis. Raw files and metadata are available at the MetaboLights database.
多年生黑麦草（Lolium perenne）是温带畜牧业的重要组成部分，为世界范围内的牛奶和肉类生产提供了大部分来源。黑麦草的化学成分和多样性为利用特定特性和阐明饲料改良的潜在生物学机制提供了多种机会。我们对包括 715 个基因型的多年生黑麦草进行了大规模代谢组学研究，这些基因型代表来自 21 个国家的 118 个种群。采用基于液/气相色谱-质谱的靶向和非靶向技术分析果聚糖低聚糖、脂质、脂肪酸甲酯、极性和半极性化合物。评估了所有基因型的果聚糖多样性，确定了高糖和低糖组，并探讨了果聚糖积累机制。对区分这两组的代谢物进行了特征描述，推导出它们所代表的模块和途径，并最终在生物学背景下进行可视化和解释。我们还展示了从原始数据到统计和途径分析的大规模代谢组学研究工作流程。原始文件和元数据可在 MetaboLights 数据库中获得。
