SummaryThe endeavour to elevate the nutritional value of oat (Avena sativa) by altering the oil composition and content positions it as an optimal crop for fostering human health and animal feed. However, optimization of oil traits on oat through conventional breeding is challenging due to its quantitative nature and complexity of the oat genome. We introduced two constructs containing three key genes integral to lipid biosynthesis and/or regulatory pathways from Arabidopsis (AtWRI1 and AtDGAT1) and Sesame (SiOLEOSIN) into the oat cultivar ‘Park’ to modify the fatty acid composition. Four homozygous transgenic lines were generated with a transformation frequency of 7%. The expression of these introduced genes initiated a comprehensive transcriptional reprogramming in oat grains and leaves. Notably, endogenous DGAT, WRI1 and OLEOSIN genes experienced upregulation, while genes associated with fatty acid biosynthesis, such as KASII, SACPD and FAD2, displayed antagonistic expression patterns between oat grains and leaves. Transcriptomic analyses highlighted significant differential gene expression, particularly enriched in lipid metabolism. Comparing the transgenic oat plants with the wild type, we observed a remarkable increase of up to 34% in oleic acid content in oat grains. Furthermore, there were marked improvements in the total oil content in oat leaves, as well as primary metabolites changes in both oat grains and leaves, while maintaining homeostasis in the transgenic oat plants. These findings underscore the effectiveness of genetic engineering in manipulating oat oil composition and content, offering promising implications for human consumption and animal feeding through oat crop improvement programmes.

中文翻译：

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代谢工程诱导的脂质生物合成转录组重编程增强了燕麦中的油成分


摘要通过改变油的成分和含量来提高燕麦（Avena sativa）的营养价值，使其成为促进人类健康和动物饲料的最佳作物。然而，由于燕麦基因组的数量性质和复杂性，通过常规育种优化燕麦的油性状具有挑战性。我们将来自拟南芥（AtWRI1 和 AtDGAT1）和芝麻（SiOLEOSIN）的含有脂质生物合成和/或调控途径的三个关键基因的两个构建体引入燕麦品种“Park”中，以改变脂肪酸组成。产生了四个纯合转基因系，转化频率为7%。这些引入基因的表达引发了燕麦籽粒和叶子中的全面转录重编程。值得注意的是，内源性 DGAT、WRI1 和 OLEOSIN 基因出现上调，而与脂肪酸生物合成相关的基因，如 KASII、SACPD 和 FAD2，在燕麦籽粒和叶子之间表现出拮抗的表达模式。转录组分析强调了基因表达的显着差异，特别是在脂质代谢中丰富。将转基因燕麦植株与野生型燕麦植株进行比较，我们观察到燕麦籽粒中的油酸含量显着增加了 34%。此外，燕麦叶的总油含量以及燕麦粒和叶的初级代谢物变化显着提高，同时保持转基因燕麦植物的体内平衡。这些发现强调了基因工程在操纵燕麦油成分和含量方面的有效性，通过燕麦作物改良计划为人类消费和动物饲养提供了有希望的影响。