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Impact of suppressing the caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene on lignin, fiber, and seed oil composition in Brassica napus transgenic plants

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Abstract

The impact of suppressing the caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene on lignin and fiber content as well as seed oil composition of Brassica napus was studied. Transgenic lines showed significant reduction in COMT enzyme activity ranging between 21 and 31 % residual activity. Lignin in the transgenic Cruciferin:COMT line 34-3 seeds was reduced by 35 % of the wild type, which decreased acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber by 17.92 and 13.04 % of the control, respectively. The main fatty acids were monounsaturated (67.2–69.5 %) followed by polyunsaturated (20.9–23.3 %). The content of tocols ranged between 338 and 440 mg/100 g oil. The highest antiradical action toward 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and galvinoxyl radicals was in the oil of the transgenic line 34-3, which contained the highest amount of total phenolic compounds and total tocols. The results show the possibility of reducing lignin in B. napus with no effect on oil content and quality.

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Abbreviations

COMT:

Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase

DPPH:

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical

NDF:

Neutral detergent fiber

ADF:

Acid detergent fiber

ADL:

Acid detergent lignin

CTAB:

Cetyl trimethylammonium bromide

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl esters

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

RSA:

Radical scavenging activity

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Abdelali Hannoufa, Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON, Canada for guidance and providing the seeds. Also, authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Ahmad Omar, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL for his valuable contribution and constructive criticism during the manuscript preparation. This work was supported by Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.

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None.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, Pavillon de l’Envirotron, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Hesham Farouk Oraby

  2. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Hesham Farouk Oraby

  3. Agricultural Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan

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  1. Hesham Farouk Oraby
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Correspondence to Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan.

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Oraby, H.F., Ramadan, M.F. Impact of suppressing the caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene on lignin, fiber, and seed oil composition in Brassica napus transgenic plants. Eur Food Res Technol 240, 931–938 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-014-2397-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-014-2397-3

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