Metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of the controls on carbon partitioning into TAG reserves in oilseeds

Completed

Not Energy Related
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy, Production of transport biofuels (incl. Production from wastes))

Basic and strategic applied research

BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Biological Sciences)

Not Cross-cutting

Prof IA Graham
Biology
University of York

Research Grant

BBSRC

01 April 2006

30 September 2009

42 months

£423,681

Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Yorkshire & Humberside

Initiative in Plant and Microbial Metabolomics (MET)

Prof IA Graham, Biology, University of York

Dr T Larson, Biology, University of York
Prof J Napier, Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research
Dr O Thimm, Biology, University of York
Dr L Whitehead, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Australian National University, Australia

Objectives not supplied

This project aims to identify genes and metabolites that are key in regulating triacylglycerol (TAG) content in oilseeds. We will achieve this by analysing metabolome and transcriptome data from wild type and mutant Arabidopsis seed tissues sampled over six developmental stages that are representative of differential TAG synthesis and breakdown. Both global metabolomic analysis (NMR, GC-MS) and specialised targeted profiling methods for key lipid related metabolites such as acyl-CoAs, TAGs and sphingolipids will be performed. This will give rise to the first comprehensive metabolomic dataset for developing and germinating Arabidopsis seeds. Ten pre-selected mutants disrupted in biochemical pathways directly related to the acyl-CoA pool and/or in the regulation of TAG synthesis during seed maturation will also be profiled in the first phase of the work. Comprehensive transcriptomic datasets already exist for four of the selected seed stages and we will generate additional datsets for the two remaining stages and for two seed development stages of the abscisic acid insensitive abi3 regulatory mutant which is altered in seed maturation and storage reserve synthesis. This data will be combined with all public domain Affymetrix based transcriptomic data (currently amounting to 1,700 non-redundant datasets) in an in-house fully relational my SQL database. This database will be used to identify putative TAG related transcriptional modules and it will also be used to house the metabolomic datasets. Metabolite-specific temporal patterns across the developmental series of maturing and germinating seeds will be generated and dedicated pattern matching procedures employed to identify similarities between metabolite and transcriptomic data. Based on this approach a further set of mutants will be selected for the second phase metabolomic and targeted gene expression analysis. This research will provide a platform of knowledge that will facilitate the rational design of metabolic engineering of economically valuable oils in crop plants.

07/10/13