Rasoul Amira, Johnston Christopher R, LaChance Jordan, Sedbrook John C, Alonso Ana Paula
Department of Biological Sciences and BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA.
School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA.
Plant Physiol. 2025 Feb 7;197(2). doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiae650.
The aviation industry's growing interest in renewable jet fuel has encouraged the exploration of alternative oilseed crops. Replacing traditional fossil fuels with a sustainable, domestically sourced crop can substantially reduce carbon emissions, thus mitigating global climate instability. Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an emerging oilseed intermediate crop that can be grown during the offseason between maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) to produce renewable biofuel. Pennycress is being domesticated through breeding and mutagenesis, providing opportunities for trait enhancement. Here, we employed metabolic engineering strategies to improve seed oil composition and bolster the plant's economic competitiveness. FATTY ACID ELONGATION1 (FAE1) was targeted using CRISPR-Cas 9 gene editing to eliminate very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) from pennycress seed oil, thereby enhancing its cold flow properties. Through an integrated multiomics approach, we investigated the impact of eliminating VLCFAs in developing and mature plant embryos. Our findings revealed improved cold-germination efficiency in fae1, with seedling emergence occurring up to 3 d earlier at 10 °C. However, these alterations led to a tradeoff between storage oil content and composition. Additionally, these shifts in lipid biosynthesis were accompanied by broad metabolic changes, such as the accumulation of glucose and ADP-glucose quantities consistent with increased starch production. Furthermore, shifts to shorter FA chains triggered the upregulation of heat shock proteins, underscoring the importance of VLCFAs in stress signaling pathways. Overall, this research provides crucial insights for optimizing pennycress seed oil while preserving essential traits for biofuel applications.
航空业对可再生喷气燃料的兴趣日益浓厚，这推动了对替代油籽作物的探索。用一种可持续的、国内来源的作物取代传统化石燃料，可以大幅减少碳排放，从而缓解全球气候不稳定。菥蓂（遏蓝菜）是一种新兴的油籽中间作物，可在玉米（ Zea mays ）和大豆（ Glycine max ）的休耕期种植，以生产可再生生物燃料。菥蓂正在通过育种和诱变进行驯化，为性状改良提供了机会。在此，我们采用代谢工程策略来改善种子油成分，并增强该植物的经济竞争力。利用CRISPR-Cas 9基因编辑技术靶向脂肪酸延长酶1（FAE1），以从菥蓂种子油中去除超长链脂肪酸（VLCFA），从而改善其低温流动特性。通过综合多组学方法，我们研究了在发育中和成熟的植物胚胎中去除VLCFA的影响。我们的研究结果表明，fae1突变体的低温发芽效率提高，在10°C下，幼苗出土时间可提前3天。然而，这些变化导致了储存油含量和成分之间的权衡。此外，脂质生物合成的这些变化伴随着广泛的代谢变化，例如葡萄糖和ADP-葡萄糖量的积累，这与淀粉产量增加一致。此外，向较短脂肪酸链的转变引发了热休克蛋白的上调，突显了VLCFA在应激信号通路中的重要性。总体而言，这项研究为优化菥蓂种子油提供了关键见解，同时保留了生物燃料应用所需的基本特性。
