Stability of the Metabolite Signature Resulting from the OsSULTR3;3 Mutation in Low Phytic Acid Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seeds upon Cross-breeding

The low phytic acid (lpa) rice (Oryza sativa L.) mutant Os-lpa-MH86-1, resulting from the mutation of the putative sulfate transporter gene OsSULTR3;3, was crossed with a commercial rice cultivar. The obtained progenies of generations F4 to F7 were subjected to a nontargeted metabolite profiling approach allowing the analyses of a broad spectrum of lipophilic and hydrophilic low-molecular-weight constituents. The metabolite profiles of the homozygous lpa progenies were characterized not only by a decreased concentration of phytic acid but also by increased contents of constituents from various classes, such as sugars, sugar alcohols, amino acids, phytosterols, and biogenic amines. Statistical assessments of the data via multivariate and univariate approaches demonstrated that this mutation-induced metabolite signature was nearly unaffected by the cross-breeding step and consistently expressed over several generations. The data demonstrate that even for complex metabolic changes resulting from a mutation, cross-breeding can be employed as a tool to generate progeny rice seeds stably exhibiting the mutation induced traits.