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Heterotic patterns of sugar and amino acid components in developing maize kernels

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Abstract

Heterosis is the superior performance of hybrids over their inbred parents. Despite its importance, little is known about the genetic and molecular basis of this phenomenon. Heterosis has been extensively exploited in plant breeding, particularly in maize (Zea mays, L.), and is well documented in the B73 and Mo17 maize inbred lines and their F1 hybrids. In this study, we determined the dry matter, the levels of starch and protein components and a total of 24 low-molecular weight metabolites including sugars, sugar-phosphates, and free amino acids, in developing maize kernels between 8 and 30 days post-pollination (DPP) of the hybrid B73 × Mo17 and its parental lines. The tissue specificity of amino acid and protein content was investigated between 16 and 30 DPP. Key observations include: (1) most of the significant differences in the investigated tissue types occurred between Mo17 and the other two genotypes; (2) heterosis of dry matter and metabolite content was detectable from the early phase of kernel development onwards; (3) the majority of metabolites exhibited an additive pattern. Nearly 10% of the metabolites exhibited nonadditive effects such as overdominance, underdominance, and high-parent and low-parent dominance; (4) The metabolite composition was remarkably dependent on kernel age, and this large developmental effect could possibly mask genotypic differences; (5) the metabolite profiles and the heterotic patterns are specific for endosperm and embryo. Our findings illustrate the power of metabolomics to characterize heterotic maize lines and suggest that the metabolite composition is a potential marker in the context of heterosis research.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Thomas Hoffmann and Florian Vitzthum for support with the GC–MS analysis and Nicole Däschlein for technical assistance. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and by the Dr-Ing. Leonhardt-Lorenz-Stiftung.

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Author notes

  1. Gertraud Spielbauer

    Present address: Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Fifield Hall, PO Box 110690, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

  2. Ulrich Genschel

    Present address: Bayerische Patentallianz GmbH, Destouchesstr. 68, 80796, Munich, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lehrstuhl für Genetik, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str 8, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Lilla Römisch-Margl, Gertraud Spielbauer, Ulrich Genschel & Alfons Gierl

  2. FG Bioinformatik 340C, Institut für Pflanzenbau und Gruenland, Universität Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany

    Andre Schützenmeister & Hans-Peter Piepho

  3. Biomolekulare Lebensmitteltechnologie, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hochfeldweg 1, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Wilfried Schwab

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  1. Lilla Römisch-Margl
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Correspondence to Lilla Römisch-Margl.

Additional information

Communicated by B. Godshalk.

Contribution to the special issue “Heterosis in Plants”.

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122_2009_1190_MOESM1_ESM.doc

Supplementary Fig. 1 Sugar, sugar-phosphate and amino acid content in B73, B73 × Mo17 and Mo17 maize kernels. The compounds are grouped according to their biosynthetic origin. The diagrams illustrate the reconstructed original data as described in Material and Methods. Metabolite contents are expressed on a starch-corrected dry weight basis. (DOC 98 kb)

122_2009_1190_MOESM2_ESM.doc

Supplementary Fig. 2 Amino acid content in B73, B73 × Mo17 and Mo17 maize endosperm. The compounds are grouped according to their biosynthetic origin. The diagrams illustrate the reconstructed original data as described in Material and Methods. Metabolite contents are expressed on a starch-corrected dry weight basis. (DOC 77 kb)

122_2009_1190_MOESM3_ESM.doc

Supplementary Fig. 3 Amino acid content in B73, B73 × Mo17 and Mo17 maize embryo. The compounds are grouped according to their biosynthetic origin. The diagrams illustrate the reconstructed original data as described in Material and Methods. Metabolite contents are expressed on a starch-corrected dry weight basis. (DOC 83 kb)

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Römisch-Margl, L., Spielbauer, G., Schützenmeister, A. et al. Heterotic patterns of sugar and amino acid components in developing maize kernels. Theor Appl Genet 120, 369–381 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-009-1190-3

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