Metabolite Profiling to Evaluate Metabolic Changes in Genetically Modified Protopanaxadiol-Enriched Rice

Event DS rice producing protopanaxadiol (PPD) has been previously developed by inserting Panax ginseng dammarenediol-II synthase gene (PgDDS) and PPD synthase gene (CYP716A47). We performed a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomics of the DS rice to identify metabolic alterations as the effects of genetic engineering by measuring the contents of 65 metabolites in seeds and 63 metabolites in leaves. Multivariate analysis and one-way analysis of variance between DS and non-genetically modified (GM) rice showed that DS rice accumulated fewer tocotrienols, tocopherols, and phytosterols than non-GM rice. These results may be due to competition for the same precursors because PPDs in DS rice are synthesized from the same precursors as those of phytosterols. In addition, multivariate analysis of metabolic data from rice leaves revealed that composition differed by growth stage rather than genetic modifications. Our results demonstrate the potential of metabolomics for identifying metabolic alterations in response to genetic modifications.

Automated summary

Using GC-MS-based metabolomics, we found that genetically modified rice had different metabolic profiles compared to non-genetically modified rice, potentially due to competition for the same precursor molecules. Additionally, metabolic composition in rice leaves was found to vary by growth stage rather than genetic modifications. These results demonstrate the potential of metabolomics for identifying metabolic alterations in response to genetic modifications.