Abstract:To explore the key genes involved in oil content and fatty acid metabolism in Camellia oleifera, transcriptome analysis was performed on the kernel of camellia oleifera at three key developmental stages, and correlation analysis was conducted on the expression levels, oil content, and proportion of each fatty acid component of the enriched fatty acid metabolism key genes. Transcriptome analysis showed that 17772 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained, of which 11006 genes were up-regulated, 6766 genes were down-regulated. GO (Gene Ontology) analysis showed that a total of 1302 DEGs were enriched with 195 GO terms in the three comparative groups, the unique DEGs were enriched with 14, 1, and 17 GO terms in each comparative group, respectively. KEGG analysis showed that the three comparative groups had DEGs enriched in Flavonoid biosynthesis, Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, Diarylheptanoid and gingerol biosynthesis, and Glutathione metabolism at five pathways. In addition, in the Em0707vsEm1003 comparison group during the critical period of fatty acid synthesis, DEGs were enriched in four pathways of fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, biotin metabolism and pyruvate metabolism, among which 12 DEGs genes involved in the fatty acid metabolism pathway; further determination of oil content and fatty acid composition in different stages of seed kernels, and correlation analysis showed that the expression levels of ACC, KASIII, PATE, KAT2 and SAD genes were significantly positively correlated with seed oil content and C18:1n-9c, while KASIII, ACC, PATE, and KAT2 genes were significantly negatively correlated with C16:0. They may be key genes regulating oil content and fatty acid metabolism in Camellia oleifera, the above research provides a scientific basis for genetic improvement of Camellia oleifera.