Project description:Waxy starch has an important influence on bread dough and the qualities of breads. Generally, grain weight and yield in waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are significantly lower than in bread wheat. In this study, we performed the first proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses of starch granule-binding proteins by comparing the waxy wheat cultivar Shannong 119 and the bread wheat cultivar Nongda 5181. The waxy and non-waxy wheats had similar starch granule morphological features and developmental patterns, and similar amylopectin quality in the grain. These results indicate that reduced amylose content does not affect amylopectin synthesis, but it causes significant reduction of total starch biosynthesis, grain size, weight and yield. Two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis identified 40 differentially expressed protein (DEP) spots in waxy and non-waxy wheats, which belonged mainly to starch synthase (SS) I, SS IIa and granule-bound SS I. Most DEPs involved in amylopectin synthesis showed a similar expression pattern during grain development, suggesting relatively independent amylose and amylopectin synthesis pathways. Phosphoproteome analysis of starch granule-binding proteins, using TiO2 microcolumns and LC-MS/MS, showed that the total number of phosphoproteins and their phosphorylation levels in ND5181 were significantly higher than in SN119, but proteins controlling amylopectin synthesis had similar phosphorylation levels. Dynamic transcriptional expression profiling of starch biosynthesis-related genes indicated similar transcriptional expression profiles in both cultivars. Our results revealed that phosphorylation modifications played critical roles in amylose and amylopectin biosynthesis, but the lack of amylose did not affect the expression and phosphorylation of the starch granule-binding proteins involved in amylopectin biosynthesis.
Project description:Waxy starch has an important influence on the qualities of breads. Generally, grain weight and yield in waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are significantly lower than in bread wheat. In this study, we performed the first proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses of starch granule-binding proteins by comparing the waxy wheat cultivar Shannong 119 and the bread wheat cultivar Nongda 5181. These results indicate that reduced amylose content does not affect amylopectin synthesis, but it causes significant reduction of total starch biosynthesis, grain size, weight and grain yield. Two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis identified 40 differentially expressed protein (DEP) spots in waxy and non-waxy wheats, which belonged mainly to starch synthase (SS) I, SS IIa and granule-bound SS I. Most DEPs involved in amylopectin synthesis showed a similar expression pattern during grain development, suggesting relatively independent amylose and amylopectin synthesis pathways. Phosphoproteome analysis of starch granule-binding proteins, using TiO2 microcolumns and LC-MS/MS, showed that the total number of phosphoproteins and their phosphorylation levels in ND5181 were significantly higher than in SN119, but proteins controlling amylopectin synthesis had similar phosphorylation levels. Our results revealed the lack of amylose did not affect the expression and phosphorylation of the starch granule-binding proteins involved in amylopectin biosynthesis.
Project description:Waxy sorghum seeds, defined by reduced amylose content in starch, offer the potential for improving grain quality in food and industrial applications. While waxy endosperms arising from non-functional waxy (wx) allele leading to the absence of Granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) enzyme have been identified in sorghum, their broader effects on seed development and grain quality remain inadequately understood. To address this gap, we identified a novel wx loss-of-function allele, "wxe" in the mutant population of the sorghum reference genome line BTx623. Beyond reduced amylose content, wxe exhibited increased kernel hardness, elevated protein content, reduced endosperm-to-germ ratio, and decreased kernel weight compared to the wild-type. Integrating transcriptomic, metabolomic, and seed chemistry analyses revealed coordinated regulatory changes during seed development due to disrupted amylose synthesis. This included altered starch granule structure, enhanced lipid profiles, and reduced carbohydrate content. Differentially expressed genes and transcription factors related to starch metabolism provided insights into the regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, metabolic profiling showed significant changes in the accumulation of compounds influencing flavor and nutritional properties. This study enhances our understanding of the molecular coordination of sorghum seed development and provides new insights into regulating seed development.