Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) mutants with reduced levels of palmitic acid (C16:0) in seed lipids

Authors: THOMPSON, COREY - Bayer Cropscience; HENDON, BRALIE - University Of Southwest; MISHRA, DEEPIKA - Arvegenix, Inc; RIEFF, JACOB - Phytogen Seed Company; LOWERY, CINDY - Texas Tech University; LAMBERT, KIMBERLY - Baker Hughes; WITT, TRAVIS - Texas Tech University; OSWALT, STEVEN - Bayer Cropscience; Bechere, Efrem; SMITH, WAYNE - Texas A&M University; CANTRELL, ROY - Wheelertex Consulting Llc; KELLY, BRENDAN - Texas Tech University; IMEL-VISE, ROBERT - Helena Agri-Enterprise; CHAPMAN, KENT - University Of North Texas; Dowd, Michael; AULD, DICK - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2019
Publication Date: 5/27/2019
Citation: Thompson, C.M., Hendon, B.R., Mishra, D., Rieff, J.M., Lowery, C.C., Lambert, K.C., Witt, T.W., Oswalt, S.J., Bechere, E., Smith, W.C., Cantrell, R.G., Kelly, B.R., Imel-Vise, R.K., Chapman, K.D., Dowd, M.K., Auld, D. 2019. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) mutants with reduced levels of palmitic acid (C16:0) in seed lipids. Euphytica. 215(112). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2423-4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2423-4

Interpretive Summary: Cotton is primarily grown for its fiber, but it is also the world’s sixth largest source of vegetable oil. High levels of saturated fatty acids in a human diet, especially palmitic fatty acid, may increase both blood cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) contributing to cardiovascular disease. If cotton genotypes with low levels of palmitic acid were identified, they will be useful for the development of new cotton cultivars to produce a much healthier oil for human consumption. We treated the cotton lines TAM 94L-25, Acala 1517-99 and SCM3-7-3-3 with a chemical that causes genetic mutations and selected plants with low levels of palmitic acid over several generations. Ultimately, four lines (TTU 1-136-A16, TTU 1-1422-A5, TTU 2-340-A5, and TTU SCM3-7-3-A3) with low levels of palmitic acid were selected and patented (U.S. Patent No. 20160222399) in 2016. Cotton breeders can use these lines to reduce the high levels of saturated fats in cotton seed oil in human diets.

Technical Abstract: Cottonseed contains approximately 20 to 25% oil and produces an oil that can be used as a food ingredient or as cooking oil. High levels of saturated fatty acids in a human diet, especially palmitic fatty acid, may increase both blood cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) contributing to cardiovascular disease. If cotton genotypes with low levels of palmitic acid were identified, cottonseed oil could become a much healthier oil for human consumption. The primary objective of this study was to develop mutants of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) with reduced levels of palmitic acid (C16:0) in the seed lipids. The three M5 parental lines derived from ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) were TAM 94L-25, Acala 1517-99 and TTU SCM3-7-3-3. In the first screen, fatty acid compositions were determined on oil samples extracted from a bulk of five M5 seeds taken from 140 putative fiber mutant lines selected from the EMS treated populations. Three of the 140 putative mutant lines had low levels of palmitic acid (19.7 to 20.7% of methyl esters) and were advanced to the second screen. In this screen, fatty acid composition of 20 individual M5 seeds from the three putative mutant lines and 10 individual M5 seeds from four mutant lines were determined using a single seed assay. The fourteen M6 single plant selections with low levels of palmitic acid were then intercrossed to generate F1 plants and 22 F2 populations that were evaluated for low levels of palmitic acid composition. The F3, F4, and F5 generations were increased by pedigree selection. Four of the single seed selections (TTU 1-136-A16, TTU 1-1422-A5, TTU 2-340-A5, and TTU SCM3-7-3-A3) with reduced levels of palmitic acid (17.9 to 19.7%) were selected for proprietary protection by U.S. Patent No. 20160222399 in 2016.