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Major QTLs reduce the deleterious effects of high temperature on rice amylose content by increasing splicing efficiency of Wx pre-mRNA

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Abstract

Key message

We discovered four QTLs that maintain proper rice amylose content at high temperature by increasing the splicing efficiency of Wx gene.

Abstract

Amylose content mainly controlled by Wx gene is a key physicochemical property for eating and cooking quality in rice. During the grain filling stage, high temperature can harm rice grain quality by significantly reducing the amylose content in many rice varieties. Here, we provide genetic evidences between Wx gene expression and rice amylose content at high temperature, and identified several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in this pathway. We performed a genome-wide survey on a set of chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) which carried chromosomal segments from the heat resistant indica 9311 in the heat-sensitive japonica Nipponbare background. Four QTLs, qHAC4, qHAC8a, qHAC8b and qHAC10, which can reduce the deleterious effects of amylose content at high temperature, were identified and mapped to chromosome 4, 8, 8 and 10, respectively. The major QTL qHAC8a, with the highest LOD score of 6.196, was physically mapped to a small chromosome segment (~300 kb). The CSSLs carrying the qHAC8a, qHAC8b and/or qHAC4 from 9311 have the high pre-mRNA splicing efficiency of Wx gene and likely lead to stable amylose content at high temperature. Thus, increasing pre-mRNA processing efficiency of Wx gene could be an important regulation mechanism for maintaining stable amylose content in rice seeds at high temperature. In addition, our results provide a theoretical basis for breeding heat-stable grain in rice.

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Abbreviations

CSSL:

Chromosome segment substitution line

DAF:

Days after flowering

DBE:

Starch debranching enzyme

D-value:

Difference value

DD-value:

Difference in the D-values

GBSS:

Granule-bound starch synthase

HT:

High temperature

HTC:

High temperature condition

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

qHAC:

QTLs for amylose content responsive to high temperatures

SBE:

Starch branching enzyme

SSS:

Soluble starch synthase

RT:

Room temperature

RTC:

Room temperature condition

LT:

Low temperature

LTC:

Low temperature condition

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Jian Hua for commenting on the manuscript (Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York). We thank Professor Xiuling Cai and Dr. Derui Liu (Institute of Plant physiology and ecology, CAS) for supervising the enzyme activity assay. This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology (2012AA10A302 and 2012CB944803), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2013M541799), Zhejiang Provincial Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Bsh1202081), Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation (BK2012010) and Scientific Program of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory Breeding Base for Zhejiang Sustainable Pest and Disease Control, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, China

    Hua Zhang, Lian Duan, Ji-Song Dai & Ying Zhu

  2. Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Chang-Quan Zhang, Juan Li, Ming-Hong Gu & Qiao-Quan Liu

  3. College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Lian Duan

  4. College of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Heifei, 230036, China

    Ji-Song Dai

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  1. Hua Zhang
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  2. Lian Duan
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  3. Ji-Song Dai
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  4. Chang-Quan Zhang
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  5. Juan Li
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  7. Qiao-Quan Liu
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  8. Ying Zhu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Qiao-Quan Liu or Ying Zhu.

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Communicated by T. Sasaki.

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Zhang, H., Duan, L., Dai, JS. et al. Major QTLs reduce the deleterious effects of high temperature on rice amylose content by increasing splicing efficiency of Wx pre-mRNA. Theor Appl Genet 127, 273–282 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-013-2216-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-013-2216-4

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