The makapuno coconut endosperm is distinguished by its soft and irregular texture, in contrast to the solid endosperm of regular coconuts. To establish a scientific foundation for studying makapuno coconuts, callus was induced from makapuno endosperm using a combination of plant growth regulators. The induction was successful, and the resulting callus was subsequently subcultured for further study. Transcriptome sequencing of the makapuno callus identified 429 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 273 upregulated and 156 downregulated, compared to callus derived from regular coconut endosperm. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were involved in key metabolic pathways, including fructose and mannose metabolism, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, galactose metabolism, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Furthermore, lipid content analysis of the makapuno callus revealed a significantly higher total lipid level compared to regular callus, with notable differences in the levels of specific fatty acids, such as myristic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid. This study establishes a novel platform for molecular biological research on makapuno coconuts and provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of makapuno callus tissue. The findings also lay the groundwork for future research aimed at elucidating the unique properties of makapuno endosperm and exploring its potential applications.
Keywords: RNA-seq; callus inductin; endosperm; lipid; makapuno coconut.