Abstract
Main conclusion
ZmSUS1 increases the amylose content of maize by regulating the expression of Shrunken2 (Sh2) and Brittle2 (Bt2) which encode the size subunits of endosperm ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and Granule bound starchsynthase1 (GBSS1) and Starch synthase1 (SS1).
Abstract
Cereal crops accumulate starch in seeds as an energy reserve. Sucrose Synthase (SuSy) plays an important role in grain starch synthesis. In this study, ZmSUS1 was transformed into maize inbred line KN5585, and transgenic plants were obtained. Compared with the non-transgenic negative control, the content and activity of SuSy were significantly increased, the amylose content in mature seeds of transgenic maize increased by 41.1–69.2%, the total starch content increased by 5.0–13.5%, the 100-grain weight increased by 19.0–26.2% and the average diameter of starch granules increased by 10.8–17.2%. These results indicated that overexpression of ZmSUS1 can significantly improve the traits of maize seeds and obtain new lines with high amylose content. It was also found that the overexpression of ZmSUS1 may increase the amylose content by altering the expression of endosperm ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) subunits Shrunken2 (Sh2) and Brittle2 (Bt2). Moreover, the ectopic expression of ZmSUS1 also affected the expression of Granule bound starch synthase1 (GBSS1) and Starch synthase1 (SS1) which encode starch synthase. This study proved the important role of ZmSUS1 in maize starch synthesis and provided a new technology strategy for improving maize starch content and yield.
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Data availability
All datasets generated for this study are included in the article/ Supplementary Materials.
Abbreviations
- ADPG:
-
ADP-glucose
- AGPase:
-
ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase
- Bt2:
-
Brittle2
- DAP:
-
Days after pollination
- DEG:
-
Differentially expressed gene
- GBSS1:
-
Granule bound starchsynthase1
- Sh2:
-
Shrunken2
- SS1:
-
Starch synthase1
- SuSy:
-
Sucrose synthase
- UDPG:
-
UDP-glucose
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank BGI Tech Solutions Co., Ltd (Shenzhen, China) for Illumina sequencing and primary bioinformatics analysis. This study was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFD1000500), Integration of Science and Education Program Foundation for the Talents by the Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences (No.2018-81110268), and Shandong Natural Science Foundation (ZR2020MC099).
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Li, P., Ma, H., Xiao, N. et al. Overexpression of the ZmSUS1 gene alters the content and composition of endosperm starch in maize (Zea mays L.). Planta 257, 97 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-023-04133-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-023-04133-z