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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Functional and Applied Plant Genomics
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1533442
This article is part of the Research Topic Pigmented Rice: Flavonoid and Nutritional Dynamics under Climate Changes View all articles

Lipidomics-based association study reveals genomic signatures of anti-cancer qualities of pigmented rice sprouts

Provisionally accepted
Rhowell Jr. Tiozon Rhowell Jr. Tiozon 1Erstelle Pasion Erstelle Pasion 1Saleh Alseekh Saleh Alseekh 2Kristel June D Sartagoda Kristel June D Sartagoda 1Shem Gempesaw Shem Gempesaw 3Joel H G Tolentino Joel H G Tolentino 3Alisdair Fernie Alisdair Fernie 2Nese Sreenivasulu Nese Sreenivasulu 1*
  • 1 Molecular Genetics, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, Philippines
  • 2 Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
  • 3 University of the Philippines Mindanao, Davao, Philippines

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The genetic wealth present in pigmented rice varieties offer abundant variation in different sources of antioxidants to meet nutritional security targets among rice-consuming communities. There is limited knowledge of the dynamic changes in the lipidome of rice during germination and the corresponding genes associated with the antioxidant and anti-cancerous properties of lipophilic fractions of pigmented rice sprouts (PRS). In this study, we profiled the lipidome of diverse pigmented rice collections of germinated sprouts. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), gene-set analysis, and targeted association analysis revealed 72 candidate genes involved in the regulation of these accumulating lipids in PRS. Marker trait associations (MTA) analysis revealed that the combination GGTAAC/ACAAGCTGGGCCC was associated with increased levels of unsaturated lipids and carotenoids, which likely underlie these beneficial effects. The MTAs derived from selected GDSL esterase/lipase (GELP) genes, OsACP1 and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase significantly contributed to enhanced antioxidant and anticancer properties. This superior MTA combination exhibited potent inhibitory activity against HCT116 and A549 cell lines, with average 1/IC50 values of 0.03 and 0.02 (mL/µg), respectively, compared to the inferior MTAs. This study provides valuable insights into the potential health benefits of germinating sprouts as a valuable dietary source of antioxidants to human health.

    Keywords: Antioxidants, anticancer, lipidomics, Lipase, Pigmented rice

    Received: 24 Nov 2024; Accepted: 02 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Tiozon, Pasion, Alseekh, Sartagoda, Gempesaw, Tolentino, Fernie and Sreenivasulu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Nese Sreenivasulu, Molecular Genetics, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, 06466, Philippines

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