High unsaturated fatty acid content of sunflower seed is desirable for human-healthy high oleic acid oil production. Knowledge of lipid metabolic regulatory mechanisms is key to improving oil content and quality. This study is expected to explore regulatory mechanisms of lipid metabolism in high oleic acid seeds. First, we analyzed the oil contents and detected the fatty acid compositions in developing sunflower seeds with high oleic acid content. Next, high-throughput sequencing (HTS) of seed RNA samples from three key seed developmental stages relevant to oil content and quality was performed. Pairwise comparisons of differentially expressed mRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) yielded respective differentially expressed transcripts as follows: 52293, 120625, 95 (L7d vs L22d); 57398, 123485, 127 (L7 vs L37d); 15417, 9554, 77 (L22d vs L37d). 15652 novel mRNAs, 123888 novel lncRNAs, and 98 novel miRNAs were identified, which enriched the RNA library of sunflower. Furthermore, gene functions were predicted using GO and KEGG analyses. These prediction analysis revealed that differentially expressed ncRNAs and mRNAs were mainly included in fatty acid metabolism and oil accumulation. Moreover, 9072 pairs of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) relationships comprised of interacting lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs. Pathway network analysis of differentially expressed lipid metabolism-associated ceRNAs revealed several important enzymes including glycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase, linoleate 9S-lipoxygenase, acyl-CoA oxidase, and others that were enriched in fatty acid synthesis and oil accumulation, which highlighted competitive interactions in lipid metabolism. This study will elucidate potential regulatory mechanisms of lipid metabolism in sunflower seeds.

葵花籽的高不饱和脂肪酸含量对于人类健康的高油酸油生产而言是理想的。脂质代谢调节机制的知识是提高油含量和质量的关键。该研究有望探索高油酸种子中脂质代谢的调控机制。首先，我们分析了油含量，并检测了发育中油酸含量高的葵花籽中的脂肪酸组成。接下来，对来自与油含量和质量相关的三个关键种子发育阶段的种子RNA样品进行了高通量测序（HTS）。差异表达的mRNA，长非编码RNA（lncRNA）和microRNA（miRNA）的成对比较分别产生差异表达的转录本，如下所示：52293、120625、95（L7d对L22d）；57398、123485、127（L7对L37d）；15417、9554，77（L22d和L37d）。鉴定出15652个新颖的mRNA，123888个新颖的lncRNA和98个新颖的miRNA，它们丰富了向日葵的RNA文库。此外，使用GO和KEGG分析预测了基因功能。这些预测分析表明，差异表达的ncRNA和mRNA主要包括在脂肪酸代谢和油积累中。此外，9072对竞争内源性RNA（ceRNA）关系由相互作用的lncRNA，miRNA和mRNA组成。差异表达脂质代谢相关的ceRNA的通路网络分析揭示了几种重要的酶，包括3-磷酸甘油 这些预测分析表明，差异表达的ncRNA和mRNA主要包括在脂肪酸代谢和油积累中。此外，9072对竞争内源性RNA（ceRNA）关系由相互作用的lncRNA，miRNA和mRNA组成。差异表达脂质代谢相关的ceRNA的通路网络分析揭示了几种重要的酶，包括3-磷酸甘油 这些预测分析表明，差异表达的ncRNA和mRNA主要包括在脂肪酸代谢和油积累中。此外，9072对竞争内源性RNA（ceRNA）关系由相互作用的lncRNA，miRNA和mRNA组成。差异表达脂质代谢相关的ceRNA的通路网络分析揭示了几种重要的酶，包括3-磷酸甘油O-酰基转移酶，亚油酸酯9S-脂加氧酶，酰基-CoA氧化酶，以及其他富含脂肪酸合成和油脂积累的化合物，突出了脂质代谢中的竞争性相互作用。这项研究将阐明向日葵种子脂质代谢的潜在调控机制。