RACE for COPRA (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends for Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) Oil biosynthesis genes Putatively Relating to Aberrations ): Case of Lono Endosperm

Philippine Lono Tall (PLNT), locally known as Lono, is another soft endosperm type of coconut. Borne amongst Laguna Tall (LAGT), PLNT endosperm is like normal nuts but is softer, creamier, and observed to contain higher amounts of oil. Several oil-related genes were differentially expressed in PLNT even at an early stage of endosperm development (6-7 months after pollination) as revealed by RNA-Seq transcriptome data and analysis (Osio et al. 2019). Some noteworthy genes involved in oil biosynthesis and storage are ASIL1, LEC1, Wrinkled1 (WRI1), FATB3 acyl-ACP thioesterase (FATB3), and Oleosin5 (OLE5) which had shown upregulation in PLNT compared to Laguna Tall (LAGT). Hence, fully elucidating the coding sequences of these genes could aid on the ongoing efforts to determine the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in coconut endosperm development and oil biosynthesis. This research will augment our understanding of coconut oil production. Coding sequences are critical as they provide the message necessary to create a functional product through polypeptide or protein production. Knowing the full-length complementary DNAs or coding sequences of oil biosynthesis-related genes in LAGT and PLNT may provide essential information leading to our understanding of the lono endosperm phenotype and its observed increased oil content. This knowledge could be utilized for marker-assisted breeding to produce coconut varieties with increased oil content and high yield.