Comparative transcriptome profiling reveals the mechanism of increasing lysine and tryptophan content through pyramiding , and genes in maize.

To explore the molecular mechanism behind maize grain quality and use of different gene stacking to improve the nutritional quality of grain, marker-assisted selection (MAS) was used to select three recessive mutant lines containing , along with the double-recessive mutant lines containing , , and . The resulting seeds were taken for transcriptome sequencing analysis 18 days after pollination (DAP). Results: Compared with the recurrent parent genes, in the lysine synthesis pathway, the gene pyramiding lines (, , and ) revealed that the gene encoding aspartate kinase (AK) was up-regulated and promoted lysine synthesis.

-like Transposon Elements Inserted in Cause Male Sterility in Maize.

Using male sterile (MS) lines instead of normal inbred maternal lines in hybrid seed production can increase the yield and quality with lower production costs. Therefore, developing a new MS germplasm is essential for maize hybrid seed production in the future. Here, we reported a male sterility gene , cloned from a newly found MS mutant .

A Rapid Pipeline for Pollen- and Anther-Specific Gene Discovery Based on Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Maize Tissues.

Recently, crop breeders have widely adopted a new biotechnology-based process, termed Seed Production Technology (SPT), to produce hybrid varieties. The SPT does not produce nuclear male-sterile lines, and instead utilizes transgenic SPT maintainer lines to pollinate male-sterile plants for propagation of nuclear-recessive male-sterile lines. A late-stage pollen-specific promoter is an essential component of the pollen-inactivating cassette used by the SPT maintainers.

Interruption of Jasmonic Acid Biosynthesis Causes Differential Responses in the Roots and Shoots of Maize Seedlings against Salt Stress.

Jasmonates (JAs) together with jasmonic acid and its offshoots are lipid-derived endogenous hormones that play key roles in both developmental processes and different defense responses in plants. JAs have been studied intensively in the past decades for their substantial roles in plant defense comebacks against diverse environmental stresses among model plants. However, the role of this phytohormone has been poorly investigated in the monocotyledonous species against abiotic stresses.

The Zea mays mutants opaque2 and opaque16 disclose lysine change in waxy maize as revealed by RNA-Seq.

In maize, opaque2 (o2) and opaque16 (o16) alleles can increase lysine content, while the waxy (wx) gene can enhance the amylopectin content of grains. In our study, o2 and o16 alleles were backcrossed into waxy maize line (wxwx). The o2o2o16o16wxwx lines had amylopectin contents similar to those of waxy line.

Transcriptome Dynamics of Double Recessive Mutant, , Reveals the Transcriptional Mechanisms in the Increase of Its Lysine and Tryptophan Content in Maize.

In maize, pyramiding of and alleles can greatly improve the nutritional quality of grains. To dissect its molecular mechanism, we created a double recessive mutant line, , by introgression of the and alleles into the wild-type maize inbred line, by molecular marker-assisted backcross selection. The kernels (18 day after pollination (DAP), 28 DAP, and 38 DAP) of the mutant and its parent lines were subject to RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq).

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Increase in Lysine Content of Waxy Maize through the Introgression of the Allele.

The () mutation in maize is associated with high lysine content in endosperm and good nutritional value. To improve the nutritional quality of waxy maize, the allele was introgressed into the line using marker-assisted backcrossing selection technology. The lysine content of lines was higher than that of the line.

Exploring Identity-By-Descent Segments and Putative Functions Using Different Foundation Parents in Maize.

Maize foundation parents (FPs) play no-alternative roles in hybrid breeding because they were widely used in the development of new lines and hybrids. The combination of different identity-by-descent (IBD) segments and genes could account for the formation patterns of different FPs, and knowledge of these IBD regions would provide an extensive foundation for the development of new candidate FP lines in future maize breeding. In this paper, a panel of 304 elite lines derived from FPs, i.

Recombinant expression and characterization of the cytoplasmic rice β-glucosidase Os1BGlu4.

The Os1BGlu4 β-glucosidase is the only glycoside hydrolase family 1 member in rice that is predicted to be localized in the cytoplasm. To characterize the biochemical function of rice Os1BGlu4, the Os1bglu4 cDNA was cloned and used to express a thioredoxin fusion protein in Escherichia coli. After removal of the tag, the purified recombinant Os1BGlu4 (rOs1BGlu4) exhibited an optimum pH of 6.

Increasing lysine content of waxy maize through introgression of opaque-2 and opaque-16 genes using molecular assisted and biochemical development.

The low lysine content of waxy maize cannot meet the nutritional requirements of humans, livestock, or poultry. In the present study, the high-lysine genes o2 and o16 were backcrossed into wx lines using the maize high-lysine inbreds TAIXI19 (o2o2) and QCL3021 (o16o16) as donors and the waxy maize inbred line QCL5019 (wxwx) as a receptor. In the triple-cross F1, backcross, and inbred generations, the SSR markers phi027 and phi112 within the wx and o2 genes and the SSR marker umc1121 linked to the o16 gene were used for foreground selection.