SRA

The mechanism by which several plants synthesize and store high amounts of oil in the form of triacylglycerols (TAG) in tissues other than seeds is poorly understood. In Persea americana, the mesocarp tissue of fruit stores ~ 60-70 % TAG, by dry weight and the accumulation is correlated with increase in fruit weight. Using 454- and Illumina-based RNA-Seq approaches, we examined the transcriptional basis for oil biosynthesis in developing mesocarp of avocado. Comprehensive analysis of transcriptome, during TAG accumulation, revealed an increased expression of genes mostly associated with fatty acid biosynthesis in plastid but not that of TAG assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum. This pattern of expression was typical to what was previously observed in other seed and nonseed tissues. Moreover, WRINKLED1 transcription factor, a regulatory element associated with oil biosynthesis in seed and nonseed tissues of monocot and dicot plants was identified in a basal angiosperm species as well. Our studies allowed detailed comparisons of modes of regulation of transcripts for storage oil biosynthesis in diverse plants and tissues.