Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus)
Watermelon seeds are readily accepted even after selenium enrichment, thereby potentially helping meet daily selenium requirements of adults. However, no existing studies have elucidated the molecular-level metabolic changes in watermelon seeds induced by selenium enrichment. In this study, UPLC-MS/...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666566225000255 |
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| author | Xiaolong Zhou Yuehui Wang Huixing Liang Shuai Chen Wenping Ding Kun Zhuang |
| author_facet | Xiaolong Zhou Yuehui Wang Huixing Liang Shuai Chen Wenping Ding Kun Zhuang |
| author_sort | Xiaolong Zhou |
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| description | Watermelon seeds are readily accepted even after selenium enrichment, thereby potentially helping meet daily selenium requirements of adults. However, no existing studies have elucidated the molecular-level metabolic changes in watermelon seeds induced by selenium enrichment. In this study, UPLC-MS/MS was employed to identify and quantify metabolite alterations in watermelon seeds. A total of 1036 metabolites were identified, and 81 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) being screened out. Gene identification and expression analysis were conducted using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. A total of 18,686 genes were identified, and 999 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out. Joint omics analysis revealed that DEMs and DEGs were enriched in 25 pathways, primarily involving flavonoid biosynthesis and amino acid metabolism. Genes like PAL, 4CL, CYP73A, and CHS were the key genes for the biosynthesis of flavonoids under selenium treatment, resulting in a significant decrease in the expression level of chlorogenic acid in the pathway. In the amino acid metabolism pathway, genes such as AGXT2, glnA, speE, and thrC played crucial roles, causing significant alterations in the expression levels of metabolites such as L-Alanine, Threonine, and Tryptophan in the pathway. This study provides a theoretical basis for developing watermelon seeds with both selenium-enrichment function and balanced nutrition. The selenium enrichment process can be improved by regulating the expression levels of key genes such as PAL and AGXT2, and the amino acid composition can also be regulated. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2b03d5309b7b4910b3ab2dacfe6798e9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2666-5662 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-2b03d5309b7b4910b3ab2dacfe6798e92025-08-20T02:06:19ZengElsevierFood Chemistry: Molecular Sciences2666-56622025-06-011010026410.1016/j.fochms.2025.100264Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus)Xiaolong Zhou0Yuehui Wang1Huixing Liang2Shuai Chen3Wenping Ding4Kun Zhuang5College of Modern Industry of Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, ChinaCollege of Modern Industry of Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China; Key Laboratory of Bulk Grain and Oil Deep Processing, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430023, China; National Selenium-Rich Agricultural Products Processing Technology Research and Development Center, Wuhan 430023, China; Corresponding author at: College of Modern Industry of Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.College of Modern Industry of Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, ChinaCollege of Modern Industry of Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China; Key Laboratory of Bulk Grain and Oil Deep Processing, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430023, China; National Selenium-Rich Agricultural Products Processing Technology Research and Development Center, Wuhan 430023, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China; Key Laboratory of Bulk Grain and Oil Deep Processing, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430023, China; Corresponding author at: College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.Watermelon seeds are readily accepted even after selenium enrichment, thereby potentially helping meet daily selenium requirements of adults. However, no existing studies have elucidated the molecular-level metabolic changes in watermelon seeds induced by selenium enrichment. In this study, UPLC-MS/MS was employed to identify and quantify metabolite alterations in watermelon seeds. A total of 1036 metabolites were identified, and 81 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) being screened out. Gene identification and expression analysis were conducted using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. A total of 18,686 genes were identified, and 999 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out. Joint omics analysis revealed that DEMs and DEGs were enriched in 25 pathways, primarily involving flavonoid biosynthesis and amino acid metabolism. Genes like PAL, 4CL, CYP73A, and CHS were the key genes for the biosynthesis of flavonoids under selenium treatment, resulting in a significant decrease in the expression level of chlorogenic acid in the pathway. In the amino acid metabolism pathway, genes such as AGXT2, glnA, speE, and thrC played crucial roles, causing significant alterations in the expression levels of metabolites such as L-Alanine, Threonine, and Tryptophan in the pathway. This study provides a theoretical basis for developing watermelon seeds with both selenium-enrichment function and balanced nutrition. The selenium enrichment process can be improved by regulating the expression levels of key genes such as PAL and AGXT2, and the amino acid composition can also be regulated.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666566225000255Selenium-enrichedMetabolite contentGene expressionKEGG pathways |
| spellingShingle | Xiaolong Zhou Yuehui Wang Huixing Liang Shuai Chen Wenping Ding Kun Zhuang Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus) Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences Selenium-enriched Metabolite content Gene expression KEGG pathways |
| title | Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus) |
| title_full | Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus) |
| title_fullStr | Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus) |
| title_short | Combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds (Citrullus mucospermus) |
| title_sort | combining metabolomics and transcriptomics to study selenium response mechanisms in germinating watermelon seeds citrullus mucospermus |
| topic | Selenium-enriched Metabolite content Gene expression KEGG pathways |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666566225000255 |
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