Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of starch synthase IIa gene dosage on grain, protein and starch in endosperm of wheat

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Theoretical and Applied Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Starch synthases (SS) are responsible for elongating the α-1,4 glucan chains of starch. A doubled haploid population was generated by crossing a line of wheat, which lacks functional ssIIa genes on each genome (abd), and an Australian wheat cultivar, Sunco, with wild type ssIIa alleles on each genome (ABD). Evidence has been presented previously indicating that the SGP-1 (starch granule protein-1) proteins present in the starch granule in wheat are products of the ssIIa genes. Analysis of 100 progeny lines demonstrated co-segregation of the ssIIa alleles from the three genomes with the SGP-1 proteins, providing further evidence that the SGP-1 proteins are the products of the ssIIa genes. From the progeny lines, 40 doubled haploid lines representing the eight possible genotypes for SSIIa (ABD, aBD, AbD, ABd, abD, aBd, Abd, abd) were characterized for their grain weight, protein content, total starch content and starch properties. For some properties (chain length distribution, pasting properties, swelling power, and gelatinization properties), a progressive change was observed across the four classes of genotypes (wild type, single nulls, double nulls and triple nulls). However, for other grain properties (seed weight and protein content) and starch properties (total starch content, granule morphology and crystallinity, granule size distribution, amylose content, amylose–lipid dissociation properties), a statistically significant change only occurred for the triple nulls, indicating that all three genes had to be missing or inactive for a change to occur. These results illustrate the importance of SSIIa in controlling grain and starch properties and the importance of amylopectin fine structure in controlling starch granule properties in wheat.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AOA Chemists (1990) Official methods of analysis, Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Inc

  • Ball SG, Morell MK (2003) From bacterial glycogen to starch: understanding the biogenesis of the plant starch granule. Annu Rev Plant Biol 54:207–233

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bird AR, Flory C, Davies DA, Usher S, Topping DL (2004) A novel barley cultivar (Himalaya 292) with a specific gene mutation in starch synthase IIa raises large bowel starch and short-chain fatty acids in rats. J Nutr 134:831–835

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bogracheva TY, Wang JY, Hedley CL (2001) The effect of water content on the ordered/disordered structures in starches. Biopolymers 58:247–259

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cairns P, Bogracheva TY, Ring SG, Hedley CL, Morris VJ (1997) Determination of the polymorphic composition of smooth pea starch. Carbohydr Polym 32:275–282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheetham NWH, Tao L (1998) Variation in crystalline type with amylose content in maize starch granules: an X-ray powder diffraction study. Carbohydr Polym 36:277–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Craig J, LIoyd JR, Tomlinson K, Barber L, Edwards A, Wang TL, Martin C, Hedley CL, Smith AM (1998) Mutations in the gene encoding starch synthase II profoundly alter amylopectin structure in pea embryos. Plant Cell 10:413–426

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fuwa H, Inouchi N, Glover DV, Fujita S, Sugihara M, Yoshioka S, Yamada K, Sugimoto Y (1999) Structural and physicochemical properties of endosperm starches possessing different alleles at the amylose-extender and waxy locus in maize (Zea mays L.). Starch-Stärke 51:147–151

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gernat C, Radosta S, Anger H, Damaschun G (1993) Crystalline part of three different conformations detected in native and enzymatically degraded starches. Starch-Stärke 45:309–314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gidley MJ, Bociek SM (1985) Molecular organization in starches: A 13C CP/MAS NMR study. J Am Chem Soc 107:7040–7044

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenspan L (1977) Humidity fixed points of binary saturated aqueous solutions. J Res Natl Bur Stand A 81A:89–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirose T, Terao T (2004) A comprehensive expression analysis of the starch synthase gene family in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Planta 220: 9–16

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • James MG, Denyer K, Myers AM (2003) Starch synthesis in the cereal endosperm. Curr Opin Plant Biol 6:215–222

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jane JL, Chen JF (1992) Effect of amylose molecular size and amylopectin branch chain length on paste properties of starch. Cereal Chem 69:271–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Kossmann J, Lloyd J (2000) Understanding and influencing starch biochemistry. Crit Rev Plant Sci 19:171–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim W, Johnson JW, Graybosch RA, Gaines CS (2003) Physicochemical properties and end-use quality of wheat starch as a function of waxy protein alleles. J Cereal Sci 37:195–204

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Konik-Rose CM, Moss R, Rahman S, Appels R, Stoddard F, McMaster G (2001) Evaluation of the 40 mg swelling test for measuring starch functionality. Starch-Stärke 53:14–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kosar-Hashemi B, Li Z, Larroque O, Regina A, Yamamori M, Morell MK, Rahman S (2007) Multiple effects of the starch synthase II mutation in developing wheat endosperm. Funct Plant Biol 34:431–438

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Sun F, Xu S, Chu X, Mukai Y, Yamamoto M, Ali S, Rampling L, Kosar-Hashemi B, Rahman S, Morell MK (2003) The structural organisation of the gene encoding class II starch synthase of wheat and barley and the evolution of the genes encoding starch synthases in plants. Funct Integr Genomics 3:76–85

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Chu X, Mouille G, Yan L, Kosar-Hashemi B, Hey S, Napier J, Shewry P, Clarke B, Appels R, Morell MK, Rahman S (1999). The localization, expression and role of the class II starch synthases of wheat. Plant Physiol 120:1147–1156

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miura H, Araki E, Tarui S (1999) Amylose synthesis capacity of the three Wx genes of wheat cv. Chinese Spring. Euphytica 108:91–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miura H, Wickramasinghe MHA, Subasinghe RM, Araki E, Komae K (2002) Development of near-isogenic lines of wheat carrying different null Wx alleles and their starch properties. Euphytica 123:353–359

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morell MK, Kosar-Hashemi B, Cmiel M, Samuel MS, Chandler P, Rahman S, Buleon A, Batey IL, Li Z (2003a) Barley sex6 mutants lack starch synthase IIa activity and contain a starch with novel properties. Plant J 34:173–185

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morell MK, Li Z, Regina A, Rahman S, d’Hulst C, Ball SG (2006) Control of starch biosynthesis in vascular plants and algae. In: Plaxton WC, McManus MT (eds) Control of primary metabolism in plants. Annual plant reviews, vol 22, Blackwell, Oxford, pp 258–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Morell MK, Rahman S, Regina A, Appels R, Li Z (2001) Wheat starch biosynthesis. Euphytica 119:55–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morell MK, Regina A, Li Z, Kosar-Harshemi B, Rahman S (2003b) Advances in the understanding of starch synthesis in wheat and barley. J Appl Glycosci 50:217–224

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison WR, Laignelet B (1983) An improved colorimetric procedure determining apparent and total amylose in cereal and other starches. J Cereal Sci 1:9–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison WR, Milligan TP, Azudin MN (1984) A relationship between the amylose and lipid contents of starches from diploid cereals. J Cereal Sci 2:257–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murthy NS, Minor H (1990) General procedure for evaluating amorphous scattering and crystallinity from X-ray diffraction scans of semicrystalline polymers. Polymer 31:996–1002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura T, Yamamori M, Hirano H, Hidaka S, Nagamine T (1995) Production of waxy (amylose free) wheats. Mol Gen Genet 248:253–259

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nara S, Komiya T (1983) Studies on the relationship between water-saturated state and crystallinity by the diffraction method for moistened potato starch. Starch-Stärke 35:407–410

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • O’Shea MG, Samuel MS, Konik CM, Morell MK (1998) Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) of oligosaccharides: efficiency of labelling and high-resolution separation. Carbohydr Res 307:1–12

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rahman S, Li Z, Batey I, Cochrane P, Appels R, Morell MK (2000) Genetic alteration of starch functionality in wheat. J Cereal Sci 31:91–110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Regina A, Bird A, Topping D, Bowden S, Freeman J, Barsby T, Kosar-Hashemi B, Li Z, Rahman S, Morell MK (2006) High-amylose wheat generated by RNA interference improves indices of large-bowel health in rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:3546–3551

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Regina A, Kosar-Hashemi B, Li Z, Rampling L, Cmiel M, Maria C. Gianibelli C, Konik-Rose C, Larroque O, Rahman S, Morell MK (2004) Multiple isoforms of starch branching enzyme I in wheat: lack of the major SBE-I isoform does not alter starch phenotype. Funct Plant Biol 31:591–601

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sears ER, Miller TE (1985) The history of Chinese Spring wheat. Cereal Res Commun 13:261–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimbata T, Nakamura T, Vrinten P, Saito M, Yonemaru J, Seto Y, Yasuda H (2005) Mutations in wheat starch synthase II genes and PCR-based selection of a SGP-1 null line. Theor Appl Genet 111:1072–1079

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AM (2001) The biosynthesis of starch granules. Biomacromolecules 2:335–341

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spiess WEL, Wolf W (1987) Critical evaluation of methods to determine moisture sorption isotherms, In: Rockland LB and Beuchat LR (eds) Water activity: theory and applications to food, Marcel Dekker, New York

  • Tan I, Flanagan BM, Halley PJ, Whittaker AK, Gidley MJ (2007) A method for estimating the nature and relative proportions of amorphous, single and double-helical components in starch granules by 13C CP/MAS NMR. Biomacromolecules 8:885–891

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tester RF, Morrison WR (1990) Swelling and gelatinization of cereal starches. I. Effects of amylopectin, amylose and lipids. Cereal Chem 67:551–557

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tetlow IJ, Morell MK, Emes MJ (2004) Recent developments in understanding the regulation of starch metabolism in higher plants. J Exp Bot 55:2131–2145

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Topping DL, Clifton PM (2001) Short-chain fatty acids and human colonic function: roles of resistant starch and nonstarch polysaccharides. Physiol Rev 81:1031–1064

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Topping DL, Morell MK, King RA, Li Z, Bird AR, Noakes M (2003) Resistant starch and health–Himalaya 292, a novel barley cultivar to deliver benefits to consumers. Starch-Stärke 55:539–545

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yasui T, Matsuki J, Sasaki T, Yamamori M (1996) Amylose and lipid contents, amylopectin structure, and gelatinisation properties of waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum) starch. J Cereal Sci 24:131–137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamori M, Fujita S, Hayakawa K, Matsuki J, Yasui T (2000) Genetic elimination of a starch granule protein, SGP-1, of wheat generates an altered starch with apparent high amylose. Theor Appl Genet 101:21–29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamori M, Kato M, Yui M, Kawasaki M (2006) Resistant starch and starch pasting properties of a starch synthase Iia-deficient wheat with apparent high amylose. Aust J Agric Res 57:531–535

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamori M, Quynh NT (2000) Differential effects of Wx-A1, -B1 and -D1 protein deficiencies on apparent amylose content and starch pasting properties in common wheat. Theor Appl Genet 100:32–38

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao XC, Batey IL, Sharp PJ, Crosbie G, Barclay I, Wilson R, Morell MK, Appels R (1998) A single genetic locus associates with starch granule properties and noodle quality in wheat. J Cereal Sci 27:7–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the technical support of Helen Olsen in preparing the starch samples, and Russell Heywood and Mark Cmiel for growing the plants. We also wish to acknowledge the support of Dr M. Yamamori (Japan).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Food Futures Flagship, PO Box 93, North Ryde, NSW, 1670, Australia

    Christine Konik-Rose, Jenny Thistleton, Helene Chanvrier, Behjat Kosar-Hashemi, Hong Wang, Oscar Larroque, Joseph Ikea, Steve McMaugh, Ahmed Regina, Sadequr Rahman, Matthew Morell & Zhongyi Li

  2. CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Christine Konik-Rose, Jenny Thistleton, Behjat Kosar-Hashemi, Hong Wang, Oscar Larroque, Steve McMaugh, Ahmed Regina, Sadequr Rahman & Zhongyi Li

  3. CSIRO Food Science of Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2113, Australia

    Helene Chanvrier

  4. Division of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Ihwa Tan & Peter Halley

  5. Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Michael Gidley

Authors
  1. Christine Konik-Rose
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jenny Thistleton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Helene Chanvrier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ihwa Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Peter Halley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Michael Gidley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Behjat Kosar-Hashemi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Hong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Oscar Larroque
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Joseph Ikea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Steve McMaugh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Ahmed Regina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Sadequr Rahman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Matthew Morell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Zhongyi Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhongyi Li.

Additional information

Communicated by B. Friebe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Konik-Rose, C., Thistleton, J., Chanvrier, H. et al. Effects of starch synthase IIa gene dosage on grain, protein and starch in endosperm of wheat. Theor Appl Genet 115, 1053–1065 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0631-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0631-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation