Rice grain filling determines grain weight, final yield and grain quality. Here, a rice defective grain filling mutant, gif2, was identified. Grains ofgif2 showed a slower filling rate and a significant lower final gr...Rice grain filling determines grain weight, final yield and grain quality. Here, a rice defective grain filling mutant, gif2, was identified. Grains ofgif2 showed a slower filling rate and a significant lower final grain weight and yield compared to wild-type. The starch content in gilt2 was noticeably decreased and its physicochemical properties were also altered. Moreover, gif2 endosperm cells showed obvious defects in compound granule formation. Posi- tional cloning identified GIF2 to encode an ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase （AGP） large subunit, AGPL2; consequently, AGP enzyme activity in gif2 endosperms was remarkably decreased. GIF2 is mainly expressed in developing grains and the coded protein localizes in the cytosol. Yeast two hybrid assay showed that GIF2 interacted with AGP small subunits OsAGPS% OsAGPS2a and OsAGPS2b. Transcript levels for granule-bound starch synthase, starch synthase, starch branching enzyme and starch debranching enzyme were distinctly elevated in gif2 grains. In addition, the level of nucleotide diversity of the GIF2 locus was extremely low in both cultivated and wild rice. All of these results suggest that GIF2 plays important roles in the regulation of grain filling and starch biosynthesis during caryopsis development, and that it has been preserved during selection throughout domestication of modern rice.展开更多
The rice endosperm plays crucial roles in nourishing the embryo during embryogenesis and seed germination. Although previous studies have provided the general information about rice endosperm, a systematic investigati...The rice endosperm plays crucial roles in nourishing the embryo during embryogenesis and seed germination. Although previous studies have provided the general information about rice endosperm, a systematic investigation throughout the entire endosperm developmental process is still lacking. In this study, we examined in detail rice endosperm development on a daily basis throughout the 3o-day period of post-fertilization development. We observed that coenocytic nuclear division occurred in the first 2 days after pollination （DAP）, cellularization occurred between 3 and 5 DAP, differentiation of the aleurone and starchy endosperm occurred between 6 and 9 DAP, and accumulation of storage products occurred concurrently with the aleurone/starchy endosperm differentiation from 6 DAP onwards and was accomplished by 21 DAP. Changes in cytoplasmic membrane permeability, possibly caused by programmed cell death, were observed in the central region of the starchy endosperm at 8 DAP, and expanded to the whole starchy endosperm at 21 DAP when the aleurone is the only living component in the endosperm. Further, we observed that a distinct multi-layered dorsal aleurone formed near the dorsal vascular bundle, while the single- or occasionally two-cell layered aleurone was located in the lateral and ventral positions of endosperm. Our results provide in detail the dynamic changes in mitotic divisions, cellularization, cell differentiation, storage product accumulation, and programmed cell death that occur during rice endosperm development.展开更多
A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of different nitrogen application time （during the tillering or the booting stages） with the same nitrogen rates on the caryopsis development and grain quality of ...A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of different nitrogen application time （during the tillering or the booting stages） with the same nitrogen rates on the caryopsis development and grain quality of rice variety Yangdao 6. The increased nitrogen fertilizer （urea）, especially applied during the booting stage, could evidently increase the milled rice rate, head rice rate and protein content in rice grains compared with the control （no nitrogen application）, and decrease chalky grain rate and amylose content. Moreover, the increased nitrogen fertilizer significantly affected the caryopsis development and enhanced the grain weight when nitrogen applied during the tillering and the booting stages, especially during the booting stage. During caryopsis development the increased nitrogen fertilizer applied during the tillering and booting stages could obviously decrease the total starch and amylose contents, but not obviously for the amylopectin content in rice grain. Increased topdressing of nitrogen fertilizer, especially applied during the booting stage, had significant effect on the development and structures of amyloplasts and proteinoplasts. That is, it could change the distribution, number and shape of amyloplasts and proteinoplasts in the endosperm cells especially in grain abdomen, Compared with the control the arrangements of amyloplasts and proteinoplasts were closer, with more numbers, higher density and less interspaces each ohter. Furthermore, most amyloplasts showed polyhedron under the increased nitrogen fertilizer level.展开更多
We report here on a comparative developmental profile of plant hormone cytokinins in relation to cell size, cell number and endoreduplicaUon in developing maize caryopsis of a cell wall invertase-deficient miniature1 ...We report here on a comparative developmental profile of plant hormone cytokinins in relation to cell size, cell number and endoreduplicaUon in developing maize caryopsis of a cell wall invertase-deficient miniature1 （mn1） seed mutant and its wild type, Mn1, genotype. Both genotypes showed extremely high levels of total cytokinins during the very early stages of development, followed by a marked and genotype specific reduction. While the decrease of cytokinins in Mn1 was associated with their deactivation by 9-glucosylation, the absolute and the relative part of active cytokinin forms was higher in the mutant. During the exponential growth phase of endosperm between 6 d after pollination and 9 d after pollination, the mean cell doubling time, the absolute growth rate and the level of endoreduplication were similar in the two genotypes. However, the entire duration of growth was longer in Mnl compared with mnl, resulting in a significantly higher cell number in the Mnl endosperm. These data correlate with the previously reported peak levels of the Mn1-encoded cell wall invertase-2 （INCW2） at 12 d after pollination in the Mn1 endosperm. A model showing possible crosstalk among cytokinins, cell cycle and cell wall invertase as causal to increased cell number and sink strength of the Mn1 developing endosperm is discussed.展开更多
Rice caryopsis as one of the most important food sources for humans has a complex structure that is composed of maternal tissues including the pericarp and testa and filial tissues including the endosperm and embryo. ...Rice caryopsis as one of the most important food sources for humans has a complex structure that is composed of maternal tissues including the pericarp and testa and filial tissues including the endosperm and embryo. Although rice caryopsis studies have been conducted previously, a system- atic characterization throughout the entire developmental process is still lacking. In this study, detailed morphological examinations of caryopses were made during the entire 30- day developmental process. We observed some rapid changes in cell differentiation events and cataloged how cellular degeneration processes occurred in maternal tissues. The differentiations of tube cells and cross cells were achieved by 9 days after pollination （DAP）. In the testa, the outer integument was degenerated by 3 DAP, while the outer layer of the inner integument degenerated by 7 DAP. In the nucellus, all tissues with the exception of the nucellar projection and the nucellar epidermis degenerated in the first 5 DAP. By 21 DAP, all maternal tissues, including vascular bundles, the nucellar projection and the nucellar epidermal cells were degenerated. In summary, this study provides a complete atlas of the dynamic changes in cell differentiation and degeneration for individual maternal cell layers of rice caryopsis.展开更多
High-temperature stress, like any abiotic stress, impairs the physiology and development of plants, including the stages of seed setting and ripening. We used the Affymetrix 22K Barley1 GeneChip microarray to investig...High-temperature stress, like any abiotic stress, impairs the physiology and development of plants, including the stages of seed setting and ripening. We used the Affymetrix 22K Barley1 GeneChip microarray to investigate the response of developing barley （Hordeum vulgare） seeds, termed caryopses, after 0.5, 3, and 6 h of heat stress exposure; 958 induced and 1122 repressed genes exhibited spatial and temporal expression patterns that provide a detailed insight into the caryopses＇ early heat stress responses. Down-regulation of genes related to storage compound biosynthesis and cell growth provides evidence for a rapid impairment of the caryopsis＇ development. Increased levels of sugars and amino acids were indicative for both production of compatible solutes and feedback-induced accumulation of substrates for storage compound biosynthesis. Metadata analysis identified embryo and endosperm as primary locations of heat stress responses, indicating a strong impact of short-term heat stress on central developmental functions of the caryopsis. A comparison with heat stress responses in Arabidopsis shoots and drought stress responses in barley caryopses identified both conserved and presumably heat- and caryopsis-specific stress-responsive genes. Summarized, our data provide an important basis for further investigation of gene functions in order to aid an improved heat tolerance and reduced losses of yield in barley as a model for cereal crops.展开更多
The development of pericarp, seed coat, starchy endosperm and aleurone of the rice caryopsis was investigated, histochemically and structurally, from the time of flowering to maturity. The results showed that during i...The development of pericarp, seed coat, starchy endosperm and aleurone of the rice caryopsis was investigated, histochemically and structurally, from the time of flowering to maturity. The results showed that during its growth, the maximum length of the caryopsis was attained first, followed by width and then thickness. Histochemical examination of the caryopsis showed that starch was mainly accumulated in the endosperm, but the endosperm showed no metabolic activity, while embryo and pericarp contained a few starch grains, and embryo and aleurone were strongly active. Aleuronic cells contained many aleurone grains and spherosomes, and aleurone in the dorsal region developed earlier and contained more layers of cells. Amyloplasts in endosperm contained many starch granules and were spherical at early stages but polyhedric at late stages. The protein bodies appeared later than amyloplasts, and the number of protein bodies in subaleurone was greater than those in the starchy endosperm. The white-belly portion of endosperm might be relative to the status of amyloplast development.展开更多
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(grants No.31161140348,31471472,31301303,31161140348)by the National S&T Major Project (2014ZX08001006,2016ZX08001006)
文摘Rice grain filling determines grain weight, final yield and grain quality. Here, a rice defective grain filling mutant, gif2, was identified. Grains ofgif2 showed a slower filling rate and a significant lower final grain weight and yield compared to wild-type. The starch content in gilt2 was noticeably decreased and its physicochemical properties were also altered. Moreover, gif2 endosperm cells showed obvious defects in compound granule formation. Posi- tional cloning identified GIF2 to encode an ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase （AGP） large subunit, AGPL2; consequently, AGP enzyme activity in gif2 endosperms was remarkably decreased. GIF2 is mainly expressed in developing grains and the coded protein localizes in the cytosol. Yeast two hybrid assay showed that GIF2 interacted with AGP small subunits OsAGPS% OsAGPS2a and OsAGPS2b. Transcript levels for granule-bound starch synthase, starch synthase, starch branching enzyme and starch debranching enzyme were distinctly elevated in gif2 grains. In addition, the level of nucleotide diversity of the GIF2 locus was extremely low in both cultivated and wild rice. All of these results suggest that GIF2 plays important roles in the regulation of grain filling and starch biosynthesis during caryopsis development, and that it has been preserved during selection throughout domestication of modern rice.
基金funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2016ZX08009)the National High-Tech R&D Program of China (2012AA02A707)
文摘The rice endosperm plays crucial roles in nourishing the embryo during embryogenesis and seed germination. Although previous studies have provided the general information about rice endosperm, a systematic investigation throughout the entire endosperm developmental process is still lacking. In this study, we examined in detail rice endosperm development on a daily basis throughout the 3o-day period of post-fertilization development. We observed that coenocytic nuclear division occurred in the first 2 days after pollination （DAP）, cellularization occurred between 3 and 5 DAP, differentiation of the aleurone and starchy endosperm occurred between 6 and 9 DAP, and accumulation of storage products occurred concurrently with the aleurone/starchy endosperm differentiation from 6 DAP onwards and was accomplished by 21 DAP. Changes in cytoplasmic membrane permeability, possibly caused by programmed cell death, were observed in the central region of the starchy endosperm at 8 DAP, and expanded to the whole starchy endosperm at 21 DAP when the aleurone is the only living component in the endosperm. Further, we observed that a distinct multi-layered dorsal aleurone formed near the dorsal vascular bundle, while the single- or occasionally two-cell layered aleurone was located in the lateral and ventral positions of endosperm. Our results provide in detail the dynamic changes in mitotic divisions, cellularization, cell differentiation, storage product accumulation, and programmed cell death that occur during rice endosperm development.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30070454).
文摘A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of different nitrogen application time （during the tillering or the booting stages） with the same nitrogen rates on the caryopsis development and grain quality of rice variety Yangdao 6. The increased nitrogen fertilizer （urea）, especially applied during the booting stage, could evidently increase the milled rice rate, head rice rate and protein content in rice grains compared with the control （no nitrogen application）, and decrease chalky grain rate and amylose content. Moreover, the increased nitrogen fertilizer significantly affected the caryopsis development and enhanced the grain weight when nitrogen applied during the tillering and the booting stages, especially during the booting stage. During caryopsis development the increased nitrogen fertilizer applied during the tillering and booting stages could obviously decrease the total starch and amylose contents, but not obviously for the amylopectin content in rice grain. Increased topdressing of nitrogen fertilizer, especially applied during the booting stage, had significant effect on the development and structures of amyloplasts and proteinoplasts. That is, it could change the distribution, number and shape of amyloplasts and proteinoplasts in the endosperm cells especially in grain abdomen, Compared with the control the arrangements of amyloplasts and proteinoplasts were closer, with more numbers, higher density and less interspaces each ohter. Furthermore, most amyloplasts showed polyhedron under the increased nitrogen fertilizer level.
基金supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (P1-0212)by the USA-Slovenia Cooperation in Science and Technology (BI-US/06-07-031)
文摘We report here on a comparative developmental profile of plant hormone cytokinins in relation to cell size, cell number and endoreduplicaUon in developing maize caryopsis of a cell wall invertase-deficient miniature1 （mn1） seed mutant and its wild type, Mn1, genotype. Both genotypes showed extremely high levels of total cytokinins during the very early stages of development, followed by a marked and genotype specific reduction. While the decrease of cytokinins in Mn1 was associated with their deactivation by 9-glucosylation, the absolute and the relative part of active cytokinin forms was higher in the mutant. During the exponential growth phase of endosperm between 6 d after pollination and 9 d after pollination, the mean cell doubling time, the absolute growth rate and the level of endoreduplication were similar in the two genotypes. However, the entire duration of growth was longer in Mnl compared with mnl, resulting in a significantly higher cell number in the Mnl endosperm. These data correlate with the previously reported peak levels of the Mn1-encoded cell wall invertase-2 （INCW2） at 12 d after pollination in the Mn1 endosperm. A model showing possible crosstalk among cytokinins, cell cycle and cell wall invertase as causal to increased cell number and sink strength of the Mn1 developing endosperm is discussed.
基金funded by the 863 National High-Tech R&D Program of China (2012AA02A707)the National Transgenic Science and Technology Program (2014ZX08009003-005)
文摘Rice caryopsis as one of the most important food sources for humans has a complex structure that is composed of maternal tissues including the pericarp and testa and filial tissues including the endosperm and embryo. Although rice caryopsis studies have been conducted previously, a system- atic characterization throughout the entire developmental process is still lacking. In this study, detailed morphological examinations of caryopses were made during the entire 30- day developmental process. We observed some rapid changes in cell differentiation events and cataloged how cellular degeneration processes occurred in maternal tissues. The differentiations of tube cells and cross cells were achieved by 9 days after pollination （DAP）. In the testa, the outer integument was degenerated by 3 DAP, while the outer layer of the inner integument degenerated by 7 DAP. In the nucellus, all tissues with the exception of the nucellar projection and the nucellar epidermis degenerated in the first 5 DAP. By 21 DAP, all maternal tissues, including vascular bundles, the nucellar projection and the nucellar epidermal cells were degenerated. In summary, this study provides a complete atlas of the dynamic changes in cell differentiation and degeneration for individual maternal cell layers of rice caryopsis.
文摘High-temperature stress, like any abiotic stress, impairs the physiology and development of plants, including the stages of seed setting and ripening. We used the Affymetrix 22K Barley1 GeneChip microarray to investigate the response of developing barley （Hordeum vulgare） seeds, termed caryopses, after 0.5, 3, and 6 h of heat stress exposure; 958 induced and 1122 repressed genes exhibited spatial and temporal expression patterns that provide a detailed insight into the caryopses＇ early heat stress responses. Down-regulation of genes related to storage compound biosynthesis and cell growth provides evidence for a rapid impairment of the caryopsis＇ development. Increased levels of sugars and amino acids were indicative for both production of compatible solutes and feedback-induced accumulation of substrates for storage compound biosynthesis. Metadata analysis identified embryo and endosperm as primary locations of heat stress responses, indicating a strong impact of short-term heat stress on central developmental functions of the caryopsis. A comparison with heat stress responses in Arabidopsis shoots and drought stress responses in barley caryopses identified both conserved and presumably heat- and caryopsis-specific stress-responsive genes. Summarized, our data provide an important basis for further investigation of gene functions in order to aid an improved heat tolerance and reduced losses of yield in barley as a model for cereal crops.
文摘The development of pericarp, seed coat, starchy endosperm and aleurone of the rice caryopsis was investigated, histochemically and structurally, from the time of flowering to maturity. The results showed that during its growth, the maximum length of the caryopsis was attained first, followed by width and then thickness. Histochemical examination of the caryopsis showed that starch was mainly accumulated in the endosperm, but the endosperm showed no metabolic activity, while embryo and pericarp contained a few starch grains, and embryo and aleurone were strongly active. Aleuronic cells contained many aleurone grains and spherosomes, and aleurone in the dorsal region developed earlier and contained more layers of cells. Amyloplasts in endosperm contained many starch granules and were spherical at early stages but polyhedric at late stages. The protein bodies appeared later than amyloplasts, and the number of protein bodies in subaleurone was greater than those in the starchy endosperm. The white-belly portion of endosperm might be relative to the status of amyloplast development.
