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The defective effect of starch branching enzyme IIb from weak to strong induces the formation of biphasic starch granules in amylose-extender maize endosperm

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Biphasic starch granules in maize ae mutant underwent the weak to strong SBEIIb-defective effect during endosperm development, leading to no birefringence in their exterior due to extended long branch-chains of amylopectin.

Abstract

Biphasic starch granules are usually detected regionally in cereal endosperm lacking starch branching enzyme (SBE). However, their molecular structure, formation mechanism, and regional distribution are unclear. In this research, biphasic starch granules were observed in the inner region of crown endosperm of maize ae mutant, and had poorly oriented structure with comb-like profiles in their exterior. The inner endosperm (IE) rich in biphasic starch granules and outer endosperm (OE) without biphasic starch granules were investigated. The starch had lower amylose content and higher proportion of long branch-chains of amylopectin in IE than in OE, and the exterior of biphasic starch granules had less amylose and more long branch-chains of amylopectin than the interior. Compared with OE, the expression pattern of starch synthesis related enzymes changed significantly in IE. The granule-bound starch synthase I activity within biphasic starch granules decreased slightly. The IE experienced more severe hypoxic stress than OE, and the up-regulated anaerobic respiration pathway indicated an increase in carbon consumption. The starch in IE underwent the SBEIIb-defective effect from weak to strong due to the lack of sufficient carbon inflow, leading to the formation of biphasic starch granules and their regional distribution in endosperm. The results provided information for understanding the biphasic starch granules.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0101002), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31200611), the Talent Project of Yangzhou University, and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology of Jiangsu Province/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Wei He, Lingshang Lin, Ahui Xu & Cunxu Wei

  2. Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops of Jiangsu Province/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Wei He, Lingshang Lin, Ahui Xu & Cunxu Wei

  3. Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS), Changchun, 130033, China

    Xiangguo Liu & Dongyun Hao

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  1. Wei He
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  2. Xiangguo Liu
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  3. Lingshang Lin
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  4. Ahui Xu
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Contributions

CW, DH and WH planned and designed the research. WH and XL planted and collected the samples. WH, XL, LL and AX performed experiments under the supervision of CW and DH. WH and CW analyzed data and wrote the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript for publication.

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Correspondence to Cunxu Wei.

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He, W., Liu, X., Lin, L. et al. The defective effect of starch branching enzyme IIb from weak to strong induces the formation of biphasic starch granules in amylose-extender maize endosperm. Plant Mol Biol 103, 355–371 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-020-00998-w

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