Towards carotenoid biofortification in wheat: identification of XAT-7A1, a multicopy tandem gene responsible for carotenoid esterification in durum wheat

Yellow pigment content, mainly due to the accumulation of carotenoids, is a quality trait in durum wheat grain as it confers the bright yellow color to pasta preferred by consumers. Also, carotenoids are essential nutrients exerting important biological functions in human health. Consequently, biofortification strategies have been developed in many crops to increase carotenoid content. In this context, carotenoid esterification is emerging as a new breeding target for wheat biofortification, as carotenoid esters have been found to promote both carotenoid accumulation and stability. Until recently, no carotenoid esters have been identified in significant proportions in durum wheat grains, and interspecific breeding programs have been started to transfer esterification ability from common wheat and Hordeum chilense. In this work, XAT-7A1 is identified as the gene responsible for carotenoid esterification in durum wheat. Sequencing, copy number variation and mapping results show that XAT-7A1 is organized as tandem or proximal GDSL esterase/lipase copies in chromosome 7A. Three XAT-7A1 haplotypes are described: Type 1 copies, associated with high levels of carotenoid esters (diesters and monoesters) production and high expression in grain development; Type 2 copies, present in landraces with low levels of carotenoid esters (monoesters) or no esters; and Type 3 copies, without the signal peptide, resulting in zero-ester phenotypes. The identification of XAT-7A1 is a necessary step to make the carotenoid esterification ability available for durum and bread wheat breeding, which should be focused on the Type 1 XAT-7A1 haplotype, which may be assessed as a single gene since XAT-7A1 copies are inherited together. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-023-04431-4.