Metabolomics Approach To Understand Mechanisms of β-N-Oxalyl-l-α,β-diaminopropionic Acid (β-ODAP) Biosynthesis in Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.).

A study was performed to identify metabolic processes associated with β-ODAP synthesis in grass pea using a metabolomics approach. GC-MS metabolomics was performed on seedlings at 2, 6, and 25 days after sowing. A total of 141 metabolites were detected among the three time points representing much of grass pea primary metabolism, including amino acids, carbohydrates, purines, and others. Principal component analysis revealed unique metabolite profiles of grass pea tissues among the three time points. Fold change, hierarchical clustering, and orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analyses, and biochemical pathway ontologies were used to characterize covariance of metabolites with β-ODAP content. The data indicates that alanine and nitrogen metabolism, cysteine and sulfur metabolism, and purine, pyrimidine, and pyridine metabolism were associated with β-ODAP metabolism. Our results reveal the metabolite profiles in grass pea development and provide insights into mechanisms of β-ODAP accumulation and degradation.