Comparative transcriptomics reveals the difference in early endosperm development between maize with different amylose contents

PeerJ

article

Jianzhou Qu¹  Shutu Xu¹  Xiaokang Tian¹  Ting Li¹  Licheng Wang¹  Yuyue Zhong¹  Jiquan Xue¹  Dongwei Guo¹ 

[1] The Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Maize in Arid Area of Northwest Region, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University;Maize Engineering Technology Research Centre of Shaanxi Province

关键词: Gene expression;    Maize;    Starch metabolism;    RNA-sequence;    Endosperm;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7528

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

In seeds, the endosperm is a crucial organ that plays vital roles in supporting embryo development and determining seed weight and quality. Starch is the predominant storage carbohydrate of the endosperm and accounts for ∼70% of the mature maize kernel weight. Nonetheless, because starch biosynthesis is a complex process that is orchestrated by multiple enzymes, the gene regulatory networks of starch biosynthesis, particularly amylose and amylopectin biosynthesis, have not been fully elucidated. Here, through high-throughput RNA sequencing, we developed a temporal transcriptome atlas of the endosperms of high-amylose maize and common maize at 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-day after pollination and found that 21,986 genes are involved in the programming of the high-amylose and common maize endosperm. A coexpression analysis identified multiple sequentially expressed gene sets that are closely correlated with cellular and metabolic programmes and provided valuable insight into the dynamic reprogramming of the transcriptome in common and high-amylose maize. In addition, a number of genes and transcription factors were found to be strongly linked to starch synthesis, which might help elucidate the key mechanisms and regulatory networks underlying amylose and amylopectin biosynthesis. This study will aid the understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns and genetic regulation of endosperm development in different types of maize and provide valuable genetic information for the breeding of starch varieties with different contents.

【 授权许可】

CC BY