Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations

Abstract Background Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), a pseudocereal native to the Andean regions, is mainly characterized by the quality and nutritional value of its proteins due to an excellent balance of essential amino acids. To identify nutritional attributes and compare different germplasm accessio...

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Main Authors: María L. Barberini, Yun Sun Lee, Leandro D. Guerrero, Mariana Obertello, María A. Mazzella, Daniel Bertero, Erich Grotewold, Jorge P. Muschietti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Plant Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06913-z
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author María L. Barberini
Yun Sun Lee
Leandro D. Guerrero
Mariana Obertello
María A. Mazzella
Daniel Bertero
Erich Grotewold
Jorge P. Muschietti
author_facet María L. Barberini
Yun Sun Lee
Leandro D. Guerrero
Mariana Obertello
María A. Mazzella
Daniel Bertero
Erich Grotewold
Jorge P. Muschietti
author_sort María L. Barberini
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), a pseudocereal native to the Andean regions, is mainly characterized by the quality and nutritional value of its proteins due to an excellent balance of essential amino acids. To identify nutritional attributes and compare different germplasm accessions, we conducted comparative transcriptomic and proteomic studies on a total of five quinoa accessions. These include four accessions from different genetic groups representing dry valleys, dry highlands, transition areas, and humid valleys in the Northwest Argentina region (NWA), as well as QQ74, a sequenced Chilean coastal accession. Results We analyzed the quinoa seed transcriptome of four different accessions by aligning the RNA-seq results with the second version of the QQ74 genome (QQ74-V2). After filtering and normalizing 29,355 transcripts, we observed that QQ74 was most distinct compared to NWA accessions. Subsequently, we performed a transcript differential analysis in the ten pairwise comparisons and identified a total of 3,014 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of these DEGs showed that the accession representing the NWA transition area was enriched in terms related to oxidative phosphorylation and heat response. Furthermore, using 2D-gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that storage proteins, specifically 11S globulin, 13S globulin and vicilin-like antimicrobial peptides, were the most abundant proteins in quinoa seeds of the five accessions. In addition, we observed that some of these proteins were differentially expressed between accessions. In terms of total amino acid content, statistically significant differences between some of the accessions were found only for lysine and leucine. Conclusions The comparison of RNA-seq profiles among accessions grown in various geographical regions unveiled DEGs that could play a role in heat tolerance and plant development. These genes may contribute to the enhancement of quinoa through selective breeding processes.
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spelling doaj-art-db80a3fa2c92477da5f604fdb1e95e1e2025-08-20T03:42:35ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-07-0125111510.1186/s12870-025-06913-zComparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locationsMaría L. Barberini0Yun Sun Lee1Leandro D. Guerrero2Mariana Obertello3María A. Mazzella4Daniel Bertero5Erich Grotewold6Jorge P. Muschietti7Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Dr. Héctor Torres (INGEBI-CONICET)Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State UniversityInstituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Dr. Héctor Torres (INGEBI-CONICET)Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Dr. Héctor Torres (INGEBI-CONICET)Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Dr. Héctor Torres (INGEBI-CONICET)Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a La Agricultura (IFEVA-CONICET)Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State UniversityInstituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Dr. Héctor Torres (INGEBI-CONICET)Abstract Background Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), a pseudocereal native to the Andean regions, is mainly characterized by the quality and nutritional value of its proteins due to an excellent balance of essential amino acids. To identify nutritional attributes and compare different germplasm accessions, we conducted comparative transcriptomic and proteomic studies on a total of five quinoa accessions. These include four accessions from different genetic groups representing dry valleys, dry highlands, transition areas, and humid valleys in the Northwest Argentina region (NWA), as well as QQ74, a sequenced Chilean coastal accession. Results We analyzed the quinoa seed transcriptome of four different accessions by aligning the RNA-seq results with the second version of the QQ74 genome (QQ74-V2). After filtering and normalizing 29,355 transcripts, we observed that QQ74 was most distinct compared to NWA accessions. Subsequently, we performed a transcript differential analysis in the ten pairwise comparisons and identified a total of 3,014 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of these DEGs showed that the accession representing the NWA transition area was enriched in terms related to oxidative phosphorylation and heat response. Furthermore, using 2D-gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that storage proteins, specifically 11S globulin, 13S globulin and vicilin-like antimicrobial peptides, were the most abundant proteins in quinoa seeds of the five accessions. In addition, we observed that some of these proteins were differentially expressed between accessions. In terms of total amino acid content, statistically significant differences between some of the accessions were found only for lysine and leucine. Conclusions The comparison of RNA-seq profiles among accessions grown in various geographical regions unveiled DEGs that could play a role in heat tolerance and plant development. These genes may contribute to the enhancement of quinoa through selective breeding processes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06913-zChenopodium quinoaTranscriptome Analysis2D Gel ProteomicsGene OntologyOxidative PhosphorylationHeat Response
spellingShingle María L. Barberini
Yun Sun Lee
Leandro D. Guerrero
Mariana Obertello
María A. Mazzella
Daniel Bertero
Erich Grotewold
Jorge P. Muschietti
Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
BMC Plant Biology
Chenopodium quinoa
Transcriptome Analysis
2D Gel Proteomics
Gene Ontology
Oxidative Phosphorylation
Heat Response
title Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
title_full Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
title_fullStr Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
title_full_unstemmed Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
title_short Comparative transcriptomic, proteomic, and amino acid content analyses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
title_sort comparative transcriptomic proteomic and amino acid content analyses of quinoa chenopodium quinoa seed accessions from diverse geographic locations
topic Chenopodium quinoa
Transcriptome Analysis
2D Gel Proteomics
Gene Ontology
Oxidative Phosphorylation
Heat Response
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06913-z
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