Open Access

ARTICLE

Silencing of the Nonspecific Phospholipase C6 (NPC6) Gene Induces Ricinoleic Acid Accumulation in Castor Seeds

Yong Zhao^2,#, Lili Li^1,#, Rui Luo¹, Mu Peng¹, Tongtong Jiang¹, Mingda Yin¹, Yanpeng Wen¹, Zihan Wang¹, Fenglan Huang^1,4,5,6,7,*, Fanjuan Meng^3,*

1 College of Life Science and Food, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028000, China
2 College of Life Science, Baicheng Normal University, Baicheng, 137000, China
3 College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
4 Key Laboratory of Castor Breeding of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028043, China
5 Inner Mongolia Industrial Engineering Research Center of Universities for Castor, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028043, China
6 Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Castor Breeding and Comprehensive Utilization, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028000, China
7 Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Industrial Technology Innovation of Castor, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028000, China

* Corresponding Authors: Fenglan Huang. Email: ; Fanjuan Meng. Email:
# Yong Zhao and Lili Li contributed equally to this work and shared co-first authorship

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2023, 92(12), 3237-3250. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2023.031495

Received 23 May 2023; Accepted 12 September 2023; Issue published 28 December 2023

Abstract

Castor, scientifically known as Ricinus communis L., is among the top ten oil crops globally. It is considered a renewable resource and is commonly referred to as ‘green oil’. Castor seeds contain castor oil as their main component, which is predominantly composed of ricinoleic acid. This study utilized RNAi technology to silence the NPC6 gene in NO.2129 castor, resulting in the creation of mutant plants L1 and L2. The weight of 100 dry seed kernels from L1 and L2 exceeds that from NO.2129. The crude fat and ricinoleic acid levels of L1 and L2 were higher than those of NO.2129 at various developmental stages. In the proteomics analysis of 60-day-old castor seeds, a total of 21 differentially expressed proteins were identified, out of which 19 were successfully recognized. Eleven of the differentially expressed proteins identified were legumins, which play a crucial role in nutrient storage within the seed. Silencing the NPC6 gene results in the accumulation of ricinoleic acid in castor seeds. The findings of this study not only enhance our knowledge of NPC6’s role in regulating castor seed oil synthesis but also offer fresh perspectives for investigating oil synthesis and accumulation in other plant species.

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Keywords

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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