Abstract
BACKGROUND: Coix lacryma jobi L., a member of the Poaceae family, is a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient with a long history. In recent years, research and clinical treatment have shown that Coix lacryma jobi L. seed oil exhibits significant anti-cancer effects and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy. As Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase is a key rate-limiting enzyme in lipid synthesis, a thorough understanding of the Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase gene family in Coix lacryma jobi L. could pave the way for increasing its lipid content. RESULTS: This study used the website NCBI to search for the CDS sequences of the Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase family genes in different plants and find the homologous genes in Coix lacryma jobi L. genome by blast screening. A total of ten Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase family genes were identified in Coix lacryma jobi L., which were named ClDGAT1_1, ClDGAT1_2, ClDGAT1_3, ClDGAT2_1, ClDGAT2-2, ClDGAT3, ClWS/DGAT_1, ClWS/DGAT_2, ClWS/DGAT_3, and ClWS/DGAT_4. We analyzed the protein physicochemical properties, gene structure, gene homology and evolutionary analysis of them to elaborate the information of ClDGAT family genes. Meanwhile, functional assays revealed significant differences in oil and fatty acid synthesis among the ClDGATs. By expressing ten ClDGAT genes in H1246 yeast and comparing the differences in oil and fatty acid content in these yeasts, we found that ClDGAT3 and ClDGAT1_2 had the best oil and triglyceride synthesis ability. This study advanced research on the Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase gene family and expanded the understanding of lipid synthesis-related genes in Coix lacryma jobi L.. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we systematically identified and characterized ten DGAT family genes in the Coix lacryma jobi L. genome. Functional validation in the H1246 yeast demonstrated significant divergence in lipid synthesis capacity of ClDGAT isoforms. And ClDGAT3 and ClDGAT1_2 had the best oil and triglyceride synthesis ability. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-025-07648-7.