Comparative Transcriptomic and Lipidomic Analysis of Fatty Acid Accumulation in Three Camellia oleifera Varieties During Seed Maturing

Camellia oleifera, a major
woody
oil crop in China, produces tea oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids,
earning it names like liquid gold and eastern olive oil. This study
provides an integrated investigation of the transcriptome and lipidome
within seeds at the maturing process across three C.
oleifera varieties, revealing a significant relationship
between fatty acid production and genes involved in lipid synthesis.
Through transcriptomic analysis, 26,344 genes with varied expression
were found. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted that pathways
related to starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction,
and lipid accumulation were highly enriched among the differentially
expressed genes. Coordinated high expression of key genes (ACCase, KAS I, KAS II, KAS III, KAR, HAD, EAR, SAD, LPAAT, LACS, DGAT, PDAT) during
the late maturation stage contributes largely to high oil content.
Additionally, expression variations of SAD and FADs among different varieties were explored. The analysis
suggests that high expression of genes such as FAD3, FAD7, and FAD8 notably increased
linolenic acid content. This research provides new insights into the
molecular mechanisms of oil biosynthesis in C. oleifera, offering valuable references for improving yield and quality.