Bekele Bantayehu, Gallach Miguel, Mekonen Tilahun, Beyene Dereje, Tesfaye Kassahun, Andargie Mebeaselassie
Department of Microbial Sciences and Genetics, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Department of Biology, Oda Bultum University, Chiro, Ethiopia.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Oct 29;25(1):1467. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-07476-9.
Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is a major oilseed crop known for its substantial amount of natural antioxidants. Lignan is believed to be the primary attribute for the antioxidant properties of sesame. However, information related to lignans in sesame oils are still deficient and little is known about enzymes involved in conversion of sesamin to sesamolin and from piperitol to sesamolinol. In this study, we used metabolomic (targeted LC-MS) and transcriptome (RNA-Seq) analyses to identify metabolites and key genes associated with lignan production during the young stage (YS) and matured stages (MS) of Sesame seed. The contents of 7 lignan type metabolites and expression of 83 unigenes involved in the lignan pathway differed considerably between YS and MS; 6 of metabolites were only detected at MS while no sesamol is detected in both stages. Similar to metabolite analysis output in RNA Seq analysis majority of genes in lignan biosynthesis pathway were upregulated at MS. These findings will enhance our knowledge of lignan biosynthesis in seeds and provide a foundation for molecular breeding in sesame.
芝麻（Sesamum indicum）是一种主要的油料作物，以其含有大量天然抗氧化剂而闻名。木脂素被认为是芝麻具有抗氧化特性的主要原因。然而，关于芝麻油中木脂素的信息仍然不足，对于参与芝麻素向芝麻酚林转化以及胡椒醇向芝麻酚林醇转化的酶了解甚少。在本研究中，我们使用代谢组学（靶向液相色谱 - 质谱法）和转录组学（RNA测序）分析来鉴定芝麻种子幼年期（YS）和成熟期（MS）与木脂素生成相关的代谢物和关键基因。YS和MS之间，7种木脂素类代谢物的含量以及参与木脂素途径的83个单基因的表达存在显著差异；6种代谢物仅在MS期检测到，而两个阶段均未检测到芝麻酚。与RNA测序分析中的代谢物分析结果类似，木脂素生物合成途径中的大多数基因在MS期上调。这些发现将增进我们对种子中木脂素生物合成的了解，并为芝麻的分子育种提供基础。
