Comprehensive Profiling and Inheritance Patterns of Metabolites in Foxtail Millet

Metabolomics aims at determining a sample's metabolites profile and hence provides a straight functional statement of an organism's physiological condition. Here, we investigated comprehensive profiling, natural variation and species-specific accumulation of both primary and secondary metabolites in foxtail millet using LC-MS, and inheritance patterns of metabolome in millet hybrids. The application of a broad target metabolomics method facilitated the simultaneous identification and quantification of more than three hundred metabolites. The metabolic analysis of these compounds, such as flavonoids, phenolamides, hydrocinnamoyl derivatives, vitamins and LPCs, revealed their developmentally controlled accumulation and natural variation in different tissues/varieties. Species-specific accumulation of secondary metabolites was observed based on a comparative metabolic analysis between millet and rice, such as flavonoid O-rutinosides/neohesperidosides and malonylated flavonoid O-glycosides. In analyzing the metabolic variations between hybrid progenies and their parental lines, including a photothermo-sensitive genic male sterility line and five Zhangzagu varieties, metabolic overdominant and dominant patterns of inheritance could be observed. For example, hydrocinnamoyl derivatives and feruloylated flavonoids were identified as over-parent heterosis (overdominant) metabolites in milet hybrids. Our work paves the way for developing predictors of hybrid performance and the future analysis of the biosynthesis and regulation of relevant metabolic pathways in millet.