Abstract
Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the world’s leading fiber crop and one of the most important oilseed crops. Genetic improvement of cotton has primarily focused on fiber yield and quality. However, there is an increased interest and demand for enhanced cottonseed traits, including protein, oil, fatty acids, and amino acids for broad food, feed and biofuel applications. As a byproduct of cotton production, cottonseed is an important source of edible oil in many countries and could also be a vital source of protein for human consumption. The focus of cotton breeding on high yield and better fiber quality has substantially reduced the natural genetic variation available for effective cottonseed quality improvement within Upland cotton. However, genetic variation in cottonseed oil and protein content exists within the genus of Gossypium and cultivated cotton. A plethora of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) (associated with cottonseed oil, fatty acids, protein and amino acids) have been identified, providing important information for genetic improvement of cottonseed quality. Genetic engineering in cotton through RNA interference and insertions of additional genes of other genetic sources, in addition to the more recent development of genome editing technology has achieved considerable progress in altering the relative levels of protein, oil, fatty acid profile, and amino acids composition in cottonseed for enhanced nutritional value and expanded industrial applications. The objective of this review is to summarize and discuss the cottonseed oil biosynthetic pathway and major genes involved, genetic basis of cottonseed oil and protein content, genetic engineering, genome editing through CRISPR/Cas9, and QTLs associated with quantity and quality enhancement of cottonseed oil and protein.
Highlights
Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the world’s leading fiber crop, as well as one of the most important oilseed crops along with soybean, rapeseed, sunflower and peanut.1 The production of the cotton fiber and cottonseed is normally at the ratio of 1:1.65, and cottonseed oil accounts for about 20% of the whole seed weight, and the oil is the second most valuable component of the cotton crop behind fiber, on a price per unit weight basis (O’Brien et al, 2005)
Cottonseed is rich in high quality protein containing amino acids that are important for both human consumption and animal feeds, especially farm raised fish
The objective of this review is to summarize and discuss the cottonseed oil biosynthetic pathways and major genes involved, genetic basis of cottonseed oil and protein content, genetic engineering, genome editing through clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9, and QTLs associated with quantity and quality enhancement of cottonseed oil and protein
Summary
Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the world’s leading fiber crop, as well as one of the most important oilseed crops along with soybean, rapeseed, sunflower and peanut. The production of the cotton fiber and cottonseed is normally at the ratio of 1:1.65, and cottonseed oil accounts for about 20% of the whole seed weight, and the oil is the second most valuable component of the cotton crop behind fiber, on a price per unit weight basis (O’Brien et al, 2005). Its high smoke point makes it ideal and somewhat superior to other vegetable oils and animal fats for frying applications As it contains a relatively high level of saturated fatty acids that confers high oxidative stability and high melting point, cottonseed oil has commonly be used in food industry as “an invisible oil” in the processed snack foods, margarine making and various confectionery applications (Liu et al, 2008; Liu, 2011). Despite the continued research focus on cotton fiber, the prospects of increased utilization of cottonseed oil as food, feed and biofuels, have encouraged researchers to develop ways to genetically improve cottonseed products and maximize the outcome for enhanced fiber production and quality, improved nutritional value and expanded industrial applications. The objective of this review is to summarize and discuss the cottonseed oil biosynthetic pathways and major genes involved, genetic basis of cottonseed oil and protein content, genetic engineering, genome editing through CRISPR/Cas, and QTLs associated with quantity and quality enhancement of cottonseed oil and protein
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