Transcriptome profiling analysis reveals the role of silique in controlling seed oil content in Brassica napus

Seed oil content is an important agronomic trait in oilseed rape. However, the molecular mechanism of oil accumulation in rapeseeds is unclear so far. In this report, RNA sequencing technique (RNA-Seq) was performed to explore differentially expressed genes in siliques of two Brassica napus lines (HFA and LFA which contain high and low oil contents in seeds, respectively) at 15 and 25 days after pollination (DAP). The RNA-Seq results showed that 65746 and 66033 genes were detected in siliques of low oil content line at 15 and 25 DAP, and 65236 and 65211 genes were detected in siliques of high oil content line at 15 and 25 DAP, respectively. By comparative analysis, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in siliques of these lines. The DEGs were involved in multiple pathways, including metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolic, photosynthesis, pyruvate metabolism, fatty metabolism, glycophospholipid metabolism, and DNA binding. Also, DEGs were related to photosynthesis, starch and sugar metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and lipid metabolism at different developmental stage, resulting in the differential oil accumulation in seeds. Furthermore, RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR data revealed that some transcription factors positively regulate seed oil content. Thus, our data provide the valuable information for further exploring the molecular mechanism of lipid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in B. nupus.