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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO DESIGN AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING HYDROXY-FATTY ACID (HFA) PRODUCTION BY PHYSARIA FENDLERI. INDEED, PHYSARIA IS A BRASSICACEA THAT NATURALLY PRODUCES AND ACCUMULATES A TYPE OF OIL, RICH IN HFAS, THAT IS SUITABLE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COSMETICS, LUBRICANT GREASES, COATINGS, PLASTICS, PAINTS, BIOFUELS, ETC. THE HFAS, CURRENTLY USED IN INDUSTRY, ARE EXTRACTED FROM IMPORTED CASTOR WHICH ALSO CONTAINS HIGHLY TOXIC COMPOUNDS SUCH AS RICIN AND RICININ. FREE OF TOXINS, PHYSARIA, THEREFORE, REPRESENTS A PROMISING ALTERNATIVE TO IMPORTED CASTOR OIL. MOREOVER, PHYSARIA HAS TREMENDOUS POTENTIALS FOR OIL PRODUCTION, HAS A SHORT MATURITY TIME AND IS NOT USED FOR FOOD COMPARED TO OTHER OILSEED CROPS. HOWEVER FOR THIS PLANT TO BECOME AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE SOURCE OF HFAS, ITS SEED OIL CONTENT MUST BE IMPROVED.SOME METABOLOMIC AND TRANSCRIPTOMIC DATA OF PHYSARIA ARE NOW AVAILABLE. THESE TWO STUDIES REVEALED THE METABOLIC PATHWAYS ACTIVE DURING OIL SYNTHESIS, AND IDENTIFIED THE CO-EVOLUTION OF AT LEAST 20 GENES THAT PRODUCE AND CHANNEL HFAS INTO STORAGE LIPIDS. IN ADDITION, OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES DEMONSTRATED THAT PHYSARIA EMBRYOS METABOLIZE CARBON INTO BIOMASS WITH AN EFFICIENCY SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN OTHER PHOTOSYNTHESIC EMBRYOS. INTERESTINGLY, PHYSARIA USE NON-CONVENTIONAL METABOLIC PATHWAYS TO CHANNEL CARBON INTO OIL. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT: I) SEEDS WITH CONTRASTING OIL CONTENT RESULT FROM A NATURAL VARIATION IN GENE EXPRESSION AND METABOLISM; II) PHYSARIA ACCESSIONS THAT ACCUMULATE MORE OIL CONVERT RESOURCES INTO BIOMASS MORE EFFICIENTLY, AND III) INCREASE THE FLOW OF CARBON THROUGH NON-CONVENTIONAL PATHWAYS. WE PROPOSE TO USE A MULTI-OMICS APPROACH TO TEST THESE HYPOTHESES. THE OBJECTIVES ARE TWO-FOLD: 1) IDENTIFY CANDIDATE GENES AND METABOLITES ASSOCIATED WITH OIL CONTENT IN PHYSARIA, AND 2) VALIDATE TARGETS TO INCREASE OIL. WE ANTICIPATE THAT OUR UNIQUE STRATEGY COMBINING METABOLOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMIC WITH IN VIVO FLUXES OF CARBON WILL IDENTIFY AND VALIDATE NOVEL TARGETS TO IMPROVE OIL QUANTITY IN PHYSARIA.

$500,000FY2021National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO DESIGN AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING HYDROXY-FATTY ACID (HFA) PRODUCTION BY PHYSARIA FENDLERI. INDEED, PHYSARIA IS A BRASSICACEA THAT NATURALLY PRODUCES AND ACCUMULATES A TYPE OF OIL, RICH IN HFAS, THAT IS SUITABLE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COSMETICS, LUBRICANT GREASES, COATINGS, PLASTICS, PAINTS, BIOFUELS, ETC. THE HFAS, CURRENTLY USED IN INDUSTRY, ARE EXTRACTED FROM IMPORTED CASTOR WHICH ALSO CONTAINS HIGHLY TOXIC COMPOUNDS SUCH AS RICIN AND RICININ. FREE OF TOXINS, PHYSARIA, THEREFORE, REPRESENTS A PROMISING ALTERNATIVE TO IMPORTED CASTOR OIL. MOREOVER, PHYSARIA HAS TREMENDOUS POTENTIALS FOR OIL PRODUCTION, HAS A SHORT MATURITY TIME AND IS NOT USED FOR FOOD COMPARED TO OTHER OILSEED CROPS. HOWEVER FOR THIS PLANT TO BECOME AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE SOURCE OF HFAS, ITS SEED OIL CONTENT MUST BE IMPROVED.SOME METABOLOMIC AND TRANSCRIPTOMIC DATA OF PHYSARIA ARE NOW AVAILABLE. THESE TWO STUDIES REVEALED THE METABOLIC PATHWAYS ACTIVE DURING OIL SYNTHESIS, AND IDENTIFIED THE CO-EVOLUTION OF AT LEAST 20 GENES THAT PRODUCE AND CHANNEL HFAS INTO STORAGE LIPIDS. IN ADDITION, OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES DEMONSTRATED THAT PHYSARIA EMBRYOS METABOLIZE CARBON INTO BIOMASS WITH AN EFFICIENCY SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN OTHER PHOTOSYNTHESIC EMBRYOS. INTERESTINGLY, PHYSARIA USE NON-CONVENTIONAL METABOLIC PATHWAYS TO CHANNEL CARBON INTO OIL. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT: I) SEEDS WITH CONTRASTING OIL CONTENT RESULT FROM A NATURAL VARIATION IN GENE EXPRESSION AND METABOLISM; II) PHYSARIA ACCESSIONS THAT ACCUMULATE MORE OIL CONVERT RESOURCES INTO BIOMASS MORE EFFICIENTLY, AND III) INCREASE THE FLOW OF CARBON THROUGH NON-CONVENTIONAL PATHWAYS. WE PROPOSE TO USE A MULTI-OMICS APPROACH TO TEST THESE HYPOTHESES. THE OBJECTIVES ARE TWO-FOLD: 1) IDENTIFY CANDIDATE GENES AND METABOLITES ASSOCIATED WITH OIL CONTENT IN PHYSARIA, AND 2) VALIDATE TARGETS TO INCREASE OIL. WE ANTICIPATE THAT OUR UNIQUE STRATEGY COMBINING METABOLOMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMIC WITH IN VIVO FLUXES OF CARBON WILL IDENTIFY AND VALIDATE NOVEL TARGETS TO IMPROVE OIL QUANTITY IN PHYSARIA. · GrantIndex