title: A genome-wide analysis of the lysophosphatidate acyltransferase (LPAAT) gene family in cotton: organization, expression, sequence variation, and association with seed oil content and fiber quality.
abstract: Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT) encoded by a multigene family is a rate-limiting enzyme in the Kennedy pathway in higher plants. Cotton is the most important natural fiber crop and one of the most important oilseed crops. However, little is known on genes coding for LPAATs involved in oil biosynthesis with regard to its genome organization, diversity, expression, natural genetic variation, and association with fiber development and oil content in cotton.
  
  
  
  In this study, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis in four Gossypium species with genome sequences, i.e., tetraploid G. hirsutum- AD1and G. barbadense- AD2and its possible ancestral diploids G. raimondii- D5and G. arboreum- A2, identified 13, 10, 8, and 9 LPAAT genes, respectively, that were divided into four subfamilies. RNA-seq analyses of the LPAAT genes in the widely grown G. hirsutum suggest their differential expression at the transcriptional level in developing cottonseeds and fibers. Although 10 LPAAT genes were co-localised with quantitative trait loci (QTL) for cottonseed oil or protein content within a 25-cM region, only one single strand conformation polymorphic (SSCP) marker developed from a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the At-Gh13LPAAT5 gene was significantly correlated with cottonseed oil and protein contents in one of the three field tests. Moreover, transformed yeasts using the At-Gh13LPAAT5 gene with the two sequences for the SNP led to similar results, i.e., a 25-31% increase in palmitic acid and oleic acid, and a 16-29% increase in total triacylglycerol (TAG).
  
  
  
  The results in this study demonstrated that the natural variation in the LPAAT genes to improving cottonseed oil content and fiber quality is limited; therefore, traditional cross breeding should not expect much progress in improving cottonseed oil content or fiber quality through a marker-assisted selection for the LPAAT genes. However, enhancing the expression of one of the LPAAT genes such as At-Gh13LPAAT5 can significantly increase the production of total TAG and other fatty acids, providing an incentive for further studies into the use of LPAAT genes to increase cottonseed oil content through biotechnology.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.|College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Nuohan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.|College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Jianjiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.
authors.forename: Wenfeng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.
authors.forename: Man
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.
authors.forename: Haijing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.
authors.forename: Xingli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China. yu@cricaas.com.cn.|College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China. yu@cricaas.com.cn.
authors.forename: Shuxun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, 880033, USA. jinzhang@nmsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jinfa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China. yujw666@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jiwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032561:Cotton Fiber; D004171:Diploidy; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018745:Genome, Plant; D003368:Gossypium / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D010802:Phylogeny; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000032:analysis; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D057891:Tetraploidy; D015003:Yeasts / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils; D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant; D000217:Acyltransferases; C018764:2-acylglycerophosphate acyltransferase
keywords: Gene expression patterns; Gossypium spp; Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT); Seed oil; Sequence variation