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Seed-specific silencing of OsMRP5 reduces seed phytic acid and weight in rice

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Abstract

Phytic acid (PA) is poorly digested by humans and monogastric animals and negatively affects human/animal nutrition and the environment. Rice mutants with reduced PA content have been developed but are often associated with reduced seed weight and viability, lacking breeding value. In the present study, a new approach was explored to reduce seed PA while attaining competitive yield. The OsMRP5 gene, of which mutations are known to reduce seed PA as well as seed yield and viability, was down-regulated specifically in rice seeds by using an artificial microRNA driven by the rice seed specific promoter Ole18. Seed PA contents were reduced by 35.8–71.9 % in brown rice grains of transgenic plants compared to their respective null plants (non-transgenic plants derived from the same event). No consistent significant differences of plant height or number of tillers per plant were observed, but significantly lower seed weights (up to 17.8 % reduction) were detected in all transgenic lines compared to null plants, accompanied by reductions of seed germination and seedling emergence. It was observed that the silencing of the OsMRP5 gene increased the inorganic P (Pi) levels (up to 7.5 times) in amounts more than the reduction of PA-P in brown rice. This indicates a reduction in P content in other cellular compounds, such as lipids and nucleic acids, which may affect overall seed development. Put together, the present study demonstrated that seed specific silencing of OsMRP5 could significantly reduce the PA content and increase Pi levels in seeds; however, it also significantly lowers seed weight in rice. Discussions were made regarding future directions towards producing agronomically competitive and nutritionally valuable low PA rice.

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Acknowledgments

The research was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China through research grant No. 31071481, and in part by the Sino-Swiss Joint Research Project (2009 DFA32040 to QS and IZLCZ3 123946I to YP) and by Wuxi Science and Technology.Department (Grant #CYES1002), Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Team of Nuclear Agricultural Science and Technology (2010R50033). We are grateful to Dr. Yuwei Shen of DNA LandMarks for his critical comments on and improvement of the manuscript. Technical assistance of Ms. Lijuan Mao for measurement of phytic acid content is highly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Key Laboratory of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences of the Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Wen-Xu Li, Hai-Jun Zhao, Wei-Qin Pang, Hai-Rui Cui & Qing-Yao Shu

  2. Département de Biologie Moléculaire Végétale, Biophore, Université de Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Yves Poirier

  3. Wuxi Qiushi Agri-Biological Research Center, Wuxi, 214105, Jiangsu, China

    Wen-Xu Li & Hai-Jun Zhao

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  1. Wen-Xu Li
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  2. Hai-Jun Zhao
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  4. Hai-Rui Cui
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Correspondence to Hai-Jun Zhao or Qing-Yao Shu.

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Li, WX., Zhao, HJ., Pang, WQ. et al. Seed-specific silencing of OsMRP5 reduces seed phytic acid and weight in rice. Transgenic Res 23, 585–599 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-014-9792-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-014-9792-1

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