Profiling Arrays of Genes Controlling Oil Synthesis in Different Oil Plants by Comparative Genome Analysis

Oilseed plants are a group of plants which are characterized by their rich oil in seeds with distinct biological metabolism pathways of storage matters when compared with starch-rich plants. As oil and its fatty acids provide a group of nutrient substances for human beings and can be used as biodiesel under the background of fossil energy crisis and environmental pollution, this group of plants has been becoming more important in the world economy. Encoding the genomes has opened an unprecedented opportunity for deciphering oil biosynthesis network into greater productivity. In this topic, we first briefly introduce newly sequenced genomes of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and sesame (Sesamum indicum), and then we compare differences in the gene numbers and gene expression (if available) related to oil biosynthesis between 7 oilseed plants using collecting gene function information from public sources, particularly from Arabidopsis thaliana.