Metabolic engineering of lipids for crop resilience and nutritional improvements towards sustainable agriculture

Swati Mangla¹, Yogesh K Ahlawat^{2

3

4}, Gaurav Pathak¹, Nisha Sharma⁵, Maryam Samani⁶, Veer Bhan¹, Jemaa Essemine⁷, Yashirdisai Sampasivam⁸, Navjot Singh Brar⁹, Anurag Malik¹⁰, Vikas Ramteke¹¹, Shivali Gupta¹², Sumati Choubey¹³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001, India.
² Allied Health Sciences, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India. ykahlawa@mtu.edu.
³ Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, 140401, India. ykahlawa@mtu.edu.
⁴ Department of Biotechnology, University centre for research and development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India. ykahlawa@mtu.edu.
⁵ Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era, Deemed to be University, Clement Town, Dehradun, 248002, Uttarakhand, India.
⁶ Soil Sciences Department, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
⁷ Bioinformatics Section, Department of Informatics, University of Quebec at Montreal, Pavillon President-Kennedy, Montreal, QC, H2X 3Y7, Canada.
⁸ Institute of Systems Biology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
⁹ Department of Vegetable Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, 144004, India.
¹⁰ Division of Research and Innovation, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 24800, India.
¹¹ S. G. College of Agriculture and Research Station, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jagdalpur, India.
¹² Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Physical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
¹³ Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Jhanjeri, Mohali, Punjab, India.

PMID: 40167787
DOI: 10.1007/s10142-025-01588-z

Review

Metabolic engineering of lipids for crop resilience and nutritional improvements towards sustainable agriculture

Swati Mangla et al. Funct Integr Genomics. 2025.

. 2025 Apr 1;25(1):78.

doi: 10.1007/s10142-025-01588-z.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001, India.
² Allied Health Sciences, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India. ykahlawa@mtu.edu.
³ Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, 140401, India. ykahlawa@mtu.edu.
⁴ Department of Biotechnology, University centre for research and development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India. ykahlawa@mtu.edu.
⁵ Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era, Deemed to be University, Clement Town, Dehradun, 248002, Uttarakhand, India.
⁶ Soil Sciences Department, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
⁷ Bioinformatics Section, Department of Informatics, University of Quebec at Montreal, Pavillon President-Kennedy, Montreal, QC, H2X 3Y7, Canada.
⁸ Institute of Systems Biology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
⁹ Department of Vegetable Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, 144004, India.
¹⁰ Division of Research and Innovation, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 24800, India.
¹¹ S. G. College of Agriculture and Research Station, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jagdalpur, India.
¹² Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Physical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
¹³ Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Jhanjeri, Mohali, Punjab, India.

PMID: 40167787
DOI: 10.1007/s10142-025-01588-z

Abstract

Metabolic engineering of lipids in crops presents a promising strategy to enhance resilience against environmental stressors while improving nutritional quality. By manipulating key enzymes in lipid metabolism, introducing novel genes, and utilizing genome editing technologies, researchers have improved crop tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. Additionally, modified lipid pathways contribute to resistance against biotic stresses, including pathogen attacks and pest infestations. Engineering multiple stress-resistance traits through lipid metabolism offers a holistic approach to strengthening crop resilience amid changing environmental conditions. Beyond stress tolerance, lipid engineering enhances the nutritional profile of crops by increasing beneficial lipids such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants. This dual approach not only improves crop yield and quality but also supports global food security by ensuring sustainable agricultural production. Integrating advanced biotechnological tools with a deeper understanding of lipid biology paves the way for developing resilient, nutrient-rich crops capable of withstanding climate change and feeding a growing population.

Keywords: Crop resilience; Lipid tailoring; Metabolic engineering; Nutritional profiling; Stress tolerance; Sustainable agriculture.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: Not Applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent to publish: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial study: There are no clinical trials conducted in the study.

References

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Metabolic engineering of lipids for crop resilience and nutritional improvements towards sustainable agriculture

Affiliations

Metabolic engineering of lipids for crop resilience and nutritional improvements towards sustainable agriculture

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

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MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources