Multi-omics study links ILA to boosted duckweed growth in laboratory culture

Exogenous indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) significantly promoted the growth of duckweed, Lemna aequinoctialis, at a tested concentration of 100 micromolar, according to a multi-omics study in the aquatic plant. The treatment also changed the culture’s metabolomic, lipidomic, and transcriptomic profiles, providing a combined view of small molecules, lipids, and gene activity associated with the growth response.

Researchers investigated ILA in L. aequinoctialis, an aquatic plant with potential value as a source of feed, food, and pharmaceutical resources because of its rapid propagation and rich metabolite profile. They measured plant growth and assessed molecular responses using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and next-generation sequencing-based assays. The work was published in BMC Plant Biology as an open-access, peer-reviewed article that the publisher described as an early version subject to further editorial changes.

ILA treatment at 100 micromolar increased the cellular production of the metabolites asparagine, fumaric acid, malic acid, and tryptophan. It also raised levels of diacylglycerols, digalactosyldiacylglycerols, monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, and triacylglycerols. These findings show that the growth effect coincided with changes in the plant’s metabolite and lipid composition, including compounds relevant to its proposed uses as a cultivated biological resource.

Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis associated ILA exposure with changes in five metabolic pathways: glycolysis or gluconeogenesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. Together with the lipid results, the analysis links the observed growth promotion to coordinated changes in energy-related metabolism, lipid handling, amino-acid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. The study reports a laboratory culture finding at one tested ILA concentration; it does not establish performance under other conditions or demonstrate benefits for people, animals, or commercial-scale production.

Subject of Research: Effects of indole-3-lactic acid on growth and multi-omics profiles in Lemna aequinoctialis culture

Article Title: Integrative multi-omics analyses reveal that exogenous indole-3-lactic acid enhances growth by modulating various metabolic pathways in Lemna aequinoctialis culture

Article References: Park, S., Cho, J.-Y., Park, J., Sa, Y., Han, C., Lee, J.-M., & Choi, H.-K. (2026). Integrative multi-omics analyses reveal that exogenous indole-3-lactic acid enhances growth by modulating various metabolic pathways in Lemna aequinoctialis culture. BMC Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09916-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-026-09916-6

Keywords: Lemna aequinoctialis, indole-3-lactic acid, duckweed growth, multi-omics, metabolomics, lipidomics, transcriptomics, plant metabolism, aquatic plants, glycolysis, glutathione metabolism, glycerophospholipids