Abstract
Starch occupies the maximal component of cereal grains and is pivotal for maize yield and quality. However, the regulatory mechanism of starch synthesis is still poorly understand. In this study, a GRAS transcription factor, ZmGRAS20, was isolated from maize inbred line B73 based on transcriptome sequencing. Quantitative real-time PCR indicated that ZmGRAS20 is specifically expressed in maize endosperm. Transient expression of ZmGRAS20-green fluorescent protein fusion protein in tobacco cells showed a nucleus and membrane localization of the protein. Transactivation assay of ZmGRAS20 demonstrated that it has no transactivation activity in yeast cells. Overexpression of ZmGRAS20 led to a chalky region of ventral endosperm with decreased starch content and defective agronomic characters in transgenic seeds. Moreover, ZmGRAS20-overexpression plants had fewer fractions of long-branched starch chains. Further scanning electron microscopy observation of ZmGRAS20 transgenic seeds exhibited altered starch granules morphology compared with wide type plants. Taken together, these results suggested that ZmGRAS20 may function as a starch synthesis regulatory factor in rice endosperm.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by grants from the National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program, No. 2014CB138204) and Genetically Modified Organisms Breeding Major Projects (2013ZX003-002). We would like to thank the members of the Key Laboratory of Crop Biology of Anhui province for their technical assistance in this study.
Authors’ contribution
YZ, QM and BC designed the research, HC conducted the molecular experiments, MZ performed the rice transformation, YC analyzed agronomic characters, detected starch content and analyzed the data, RC participated in the design of this study, YZ and HC drafted the manuscript.
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Huilin Cai and Yulong Chen have contributed equally to this work.
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Cai, H., Chen, Y., Zhang, M. et al. A novel GRAS transcription factor, ZmGRAS20, regulates starch biosynthesis in rice endosperm. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 23, 143–154 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-016-0404-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-016-0404-9