Differential metabolite profiles during fruit development in high-yielding oil palm mesocarp.

• Main Authors: Huey Fang Teh, Bee Keat Neoh, May Ping Li Hong, Jaime Yoke Sum Low, Theresa Lee Mei Ng, Nalisha Ithnin, Yin Mee Thang, Mohaimi Mohamed, Fook Tim Chew, Hirzun Mohd Yusof, Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam, David R Appleton
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
• Series: PLoS ONE
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3623811?pdf=render

To better understand lipid biosynthesis in oil palm mesocarp, in particular the differences in gene regulation leading to and including de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, a multi-platform metabolomics technology was used to profile mesocarp metabolites during six critical stages of fruit development in comparatively high- and low-yielding oil palm populations. Significantly higher amino acid levels preceding lipid biosynthesis and nucleosides during lipid biosynthesis were observed in a higher yielding commercial palm population. Levels of metabolites involved in glycolysis revealed interesting divergence of flux towards glycerol-3-phosphate, while carbon utilization differences in the TCA cycle were proven by an increase in malic acid/citric acid ratio. Apart from insights into the regulation of enhanced lipid production in oil palm, these results provide potentially useful metabolite yield markers and genes of interest for use in breeding programmes.