Integrated lipidomic and transcriptomic analysis uncovers the lipid dynamic changes in Camellia weiningensis during seed development

ABSTRACT:

Oil-tea Camellia is a promising woody oil crop that has been widely used as a cooking oil, lubricant, and cosmetics. However, there is a lack of dominant varieties suitable for high-altitude cold mountainous regions. Camellia weiningensis (C. weiningensis) is the only high-altitude species of the Camellia genus incorporated into Camellia oil production in China, characterized by high oil content and superior quality. However, this species has garnered limited attention and its lipid biosynthesis mechanism remains unexplored. In this study, lipidomic and transcriptomic analyses were conducted across different developmental stages of C. weiningensis. The oil content of C. weiningensis seeds increased continuously during seed development and was rich in unsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid. A total of 1352 lipid molecules were identified, among which triacylglycerol exhibited the highest abundance and diversity. Furthermore, diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylcholine exhibited high relative contents, with an abundance of unsaturated fatty acids especially oleic acid, predominantly located at the sn-2 position. RNA sequencing of developing seeds revealed enhanced expression of genes associated with fatty acid synthesis. Co-expression analysis identified several key structural genes (ACC, SAD, FAD2, DGAT1, PDAT1, and Ole) and transcription factors (MYBs, ERFs, WRKYs, and GRFs) were involved in fatty acid synthesis. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying fatty acid biosynthesis in C. weiningensis seeds, which will be beneficial for increasing the yield of oil-tea Camellia and for breeding superior varieties adapted to cold mountainous areas.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - negative - reverse-phase, Liquid Chromatography MS - positive - reverse-phase

PROVIDER: MTBLS13636 | MetaboLights | 2026-01-27

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights