Gibberellin-to-abscisic acid balances govern development and differentiation of the nucellar projection of barley grains

Systems seed biology to understand and manipulate rice grain quality and nutrition

Rice is one of the most essential crops since it meets the calorific needs of 3 billion people around the world. Rice seed development initiates upon fertilization, leading to the establishment of two distinct filial tissues, the endosperm and embryo, which accumulate distinct seed storage products, such as starch, storage proteins, and lipids. A range of systems biology tools deployed in dissecting the spatiotemporal dynamics of transcriptome data, methylation, and small RNA based regulation operative during seed development, influencing the accumulation of storage products was reviewed. Studies of other model systems are also considered due to the limited information on the rice transcriptome. This review highlights key genes identified through a holistic view of systems biology targeted to modify biochemical composition and influence rice grain quality and nutritional value with the target of improving rice as a functional food.

The O2-ZmGRAS11 transcriptional regulatory network orchestrates the coordination of endosperm cell expansion and grain filling in maize

Maize (Zea mays) endosperm filling is coordinated with cell expansion to enlarge the grain size, but the mechanism coupling the two processes is poorly understood. Starchy endosperm cells basically contain no visible vacuoles for cell expansion. During grain filling, efficient synthesis of storage compounds leads to reduced cytoplasm and thus lowered cell turgor pressure. Although bioactive gibberellins (GAs) are essential for cell expansion, they accumulate at a low level at this stage. In this study, we identified an endosperm-specific GRAS domain-containing protein (ZmGRAS11) that lacks the DELLA domain and promotes cell expansion in the filling endosperm. The zmgras11 loss-of-function mutants showed normal grain filling but delayed cell expansion, thereby resulting in reduced kernel size and weight. Overexpression of ZmGRAS11 led to larger endosperm cells and therefore increased kernel size and weight. Consistent with this, ZmGRAS11 positively regulates the expression of ZmEXPB12, which is essential for cell expansion, at the endosperm filling stage. Moreover, we found that Opaque2 (O2), a central transcription factor that regulates endosperm filling, could directly bind to the promoter of ZmGRAS11 and activate its expression. Taken together, these results suggest that endosperm cell expansion is coupled with endosperm filling, which is orchestrated by the O2-ZmGRAS11-centered transcriptional regulatory network. Our findings also provide potential targets for maize yield improvement by increasing the storage capacity of endosperm cells.

Genetic dissection of grain elements predicted by hyperspectral imaging associated with yield-related traits in a wild barley NAM population

Enhancing the accumulation of essential mineral elements in cereal grains is of prime importance for combating human malnutrition. Biofortification by breeding holds great potential for improving nutrient accumulation in grains. However, conventional breeding approaches require element analysis of many grain samples, which causes high costs. Here we applied hyperspectral imaging to estimate the concentration of 15 grain elements (C, B, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, N, Na, P, S, Zn) in high-throughput in the wild barley nested association mapping (NAM) population HEB-25, comprising 1,420 BC₁S₃ lines derived from crossing 25 wild barley accessions with the cultivar 'Barke'. Nutrient concentrations varied largely with a multitude of lines having higher micronutrient concentration than 'Barke'. In a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we located 75 quantitative trait locus (QTL) hotspots, whereof many could be explained by major genes such as NO APICAL MERISTEM-1 (NAM-1) and PHOTOPERIOD 1 (Ppd-H1). The GWAS approach revealed exotic alleles that were able to increase grain element concentrations. Remarkably, a QTL linked to GIBBERELLIN 20 OXIDASE 2 (HvGA20ox₂) significantly increased several grain elements without yield loss. We conclude that introgressing promising exotic alleles into elite breeding material can assist in improving the nutritional value of barley grains.

Hormonal regulation of cereal endosperm development with a focus on rice (Oryza sativa)

The endosperm of cereal grain forms the staple diet for most of the world's population, and feeds much of their stock. Grain size and quality are determined largely by events taking place during coenocytic nuclear division, endosperm cellularisation and cell differentiation, and the production of storage molecules. Thus, understanding the complex signalling processes occurring at each of these steps is essential for maintaining and improving our food supply. Here, we critically review evidence for the effects of phytohormones on grain size, as well as hormone homeostasis, signalling and crosstalk. We focus on rice endosperm due to the importance of rice as a food crop and a model grass, as well as its relative neglect in recent reviews; however, data from other cereals are also discussed due to strong evidence for conserved signalling networks operating during grain development. Discussion is restricted to auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, abscisic acid and gibberellin. Our review highlights the need for accurate hormone determinations combined with information on gene expression. We present evidence for separate, localised signalling roles for auxin at different stages of grain development and highlight key research questions for other hormones where much less data are available.

Comparative transcriptomics approach in elucidation of carotenoid biosynthesis regulation in grains of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Estimation of phytoene, lycopene, β-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin in grains of white, brown and purple cultivars of rice revealed marked differences in the levels of these carotenoid intermediates amongst the cultivars. Grains of white rice did not show any significant accumulation of carotenoid intermediates at any stage of development. On the other hand, grains of the purple cultivar accumulated 49.16 ± 5 µg of β-carotene, 28.89 ± 3.2 µg of lutein and 34.65 ± 4.6 µg of zeaxanthin per gm of grain fresh weight. In addition to PSY1, higher expression of βLCY than εLCY appears to be an important factor in determining the flux of pathway towards synthesis of β-β branch carotenoids in purple rice. This cultivar showed a higher fold change in carotenoid precursors during transition from milky to doughing stages and an enhanced flux of lycopene towards β-carotene during grain maturation. Our results indicate that higher level of carotenoids in purple rice is a consequence of higher expression of genes involved in pyruvate metabolism as well as those involved in carotenoid biosynthesis such as PSY1, PDS and β-LCY. Co-expression networking revealed a strong positive relationship between the expression profiles of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and genes coding for geranylgeranyl transferase type II, glutathione S-transferase, DnaJ and SET domain containing proteins as well as MADS26 and R2R3MYB family of transcription factors.

Seed tissue and nutrient partitioning, a case for the nucellus

Flowering plants display a large spectrum of seed architectures. The volume ratio of maternal versus zygotic seed tissues changes considerably among species and underlies different nutrient-storing strategies. Such diversity arose through the evolution of cell elimination programs that regulate the relative growth of one tissue over another to become the major storage compartment. The elimination of the nucellus maternal tissue is regulated by developmental programs that marked the origin of angiosperms and outlined the most ancient seed architectures. This review focuses on such a defining mechanism for seed evolution and discusses the role of nucellus development in seed tissues and nutrient partitioning at the light of novel discoveries on its molecular regulation.

Foliar Abscisic Acid-To-Ethylene Accumulation and Response Regulate Shoot Growth Sensitivity to Mild Drought in Wheat

Although, plant hormones play an important role in adjusting growth in response to environmental perturbation, the relative contributions of abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene remain elusive. Using six spring wheat genotypes differing for stress tolerance, we show that young seedlings of the drought-tolerant (DT) group maintained or increased shoot dry weight (SDW) while the drought-susceptible (DS) group decreased SDW in response to mild drought. Both the DT and DS groups increased endogenous ABA and ethylene concentrations under mild drought compared to control. The DT and DS groups exhibited different SDW response trends, whereby the DS group decreased while the DT group increased SDW, to increased concentrations of ABA and ethylene under mild drought, although both groups decreased ABA/ethylene ratio under mild drought albeit at different levels. We concluded that SDW of the DT and DS groups might be distinctly regulated by specific ABA:ethylene ratio. Further, a foliar-spray of low concentrations (0.1 μM) of ABA increased shoot relative growth rate (RGR) in the DS group while ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, ethylene precursor) spray increased RGR in both groups compared to control. Furthermore, the DT group accumulated a significantly higher galactose while a significantly lower maltose in the shoot compared to the DS group. Taken all together, these results suggest an impact of ABA, ethylene, and ABA:ethylene ratio on SDW of wheat seedlings that may partly underlie a genotypic variability of different shoot growth sensitivities to drought among crop species under field conditions. We propose that phenotyping based on hormone accumulation, response and hormonal ratio would be a viable, rapid, and an early-stage selection tool aiding genotype selection for stress tolerance.

Increasing abscisic acid levels by immunomodulation in barley grains induces precocious maturation without changing grain composition

Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates in seeds during the transition to the seed filling phase. ABA triggers seed maturation, storage activity, and stress signalling and tolerance. Immunomodulation was used to alter the ABA status in barley grains, with the resulting transgenic caryopses responding to the anti-ABA antibody gene expression with increased accumulation of ABA. Calculation of free versus antibody-bound ABA reveals large excess of free ABA, increasing signficantly in caryopses from 10 days after fertilization. Metabolite and transcript profiling in anti-ABA grains expose triggered and enhanced ABA-functions such as transcriptional up-regulation of sucrose-to-starch metabolism, storage protein synthesis and ABA-related signal transduction. Thus, enhanced ABA during transition phases induces precocious maturation but negatively interferes with growth and development. Anti-ABA grains display broad constitutive gene induction related to biotic and abiotic stresses. Most of these genes are ABA- and/or stress-inducible, including alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases, peroxidases, chaperones, glutathione-S-transferase, drought- and salt-inducible proteins. Conclusively, ABA immunomodulation results in precocious ABA accumulation that generates an integrated response of stress and maturation. Repression of ABA signalling, occurring in anti-ABA grains, potentially antagonizes effects caused by overshooting production. Finally, mature grain weight and composition are unchanged in anti-ABA plants, although germination is somewhat delayed. This indicates that anti-ABA caryopses induce specific mechanisms to desensitize ABA signalling efficiently, which finally yields mature grains with nearly unchanged dry weight and composition. Such compensation implicates the enormous physiological and metabolic flexibilities of barley grains to adjust effects of unnaturally high ABA amounts in order to ensure and maintain proper grain development.

Genomic dissection of plant development and its impact on thousand grain weight in barley through nested association mapping

Flowering time is a key agronomic trait that plays an important role in crop yield. There is growing interest in dissecting the developmental subphases of flowering to better understand and fine-tune plant development and maximize yield. To do this, we used the wild barley nested association mapping (NAM) population HEB-25, comprising 1420 BC1S3 lines, to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling five developmental traits, plant height, and thousand grain weight. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) enabled us to locate a total of 89 QTLs that genetically regulate the seven investigated traits. Several exotic QTL alleles proved to be highly effective and potentially useful in barley breeding. For instance, thousand grain weight was increased by 4.5 g and flowering time was reduced by 9.3 days by substituting Barke elite QTL alleles for exotic QTL alleles at the denso/sdw1 and the Ppd-H1 loci, respectively. We showed that the exotic allele at the semi-dwarf locus denso/sdw1 can be used to increase grain weight since it uncouples the negative correlation between shoot elongation and the ripening phase. Our study demonstrates that nested association mapping of HEB-25 can help unravel the genetic regulation of plant development and yield formation in barley. Moreover, since we detected numerous useful exotic QTL alleles in HEB-25, we conclude that the introgression of these wild barley alleles into the elite barley gene pool may enable developmental phases to be specifically fine-tuned in order to maximize thousand grain weight and, potentially, yield in the long term.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Oligofructan Metabolism and Suggested Functions in Developing Cereal Grains

Oligofructans represent one of the most important groups of sucrose-derived water-soluble carbohydrates in the plant kingdom. In cereals, oligofructans accumulate in above ground parts of the plants (stems, leaves, seeds) and their biosynthesis leads to the formation of both types of glycosidic linkages [β(2,1); β(2,6)-fructans] or mixed patterns. In recent studies, tissue- and development- specific distribution patterns of the various oligofructan types in cereal grains have been shown, which are possibly related to the different phases of grain development, such as cellular differentiation of grain tissues and storage product accumulation. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about oligofructan biosynthesis and accumulation kinetics in cereal grains. We focus on the spatiotemporal dynamics and regulation of oligofructan biosynthesis and accumulation in developing barley grains (deduced from a combination of metabolite, transcript and proteome analyses). Finally, putative physiological functions of oligofructans in developing grains are discussed.

Exogenous gibberellin altered morphology, anatomic and transcriptional regulatory networks of hormones in carrot root and shoot

BACKGROUND

Gibberellins stimulate cell elongation and expansion during plant growth and development. Carrot is a root plant with great value and undergoes obvious alteration in organ size over the period of plant growth. However, the roles of gibberellins in carrot remain unclear.

RESULTS

To investigate the effects of gibberelliins on the growth of carrot, we treated carrot plants with gibberellic acid 3 (GA3) or paclobutrazol (a gibberellin inhibitor). The results found that GA3 dramatically reduced the root growth but stimulated the shoot growth of carrot. It also significantly promoted xylem development in the tuberous root of carrot. In addition, transcript levels of genes related to gibberellins, auxin, cytokinins, abscisic acid and brassinolides were altered in response to increased or reduced gibberellins.

CONCLUSIONS

The inhibited tuberous root growth but enhanced shoot growth in plants treated with GA3 can be principally attributed to the changes in the xylem development of carrot roots. Negative feedback regulation mechanism of gibberellin biosynthesis also occurred in response to altered gibberellin accumulation. Gibberellins may interact with other hormones to regulate carrot plant growth through crosstalk mechanisms. This study provided novel insights into the functions of gibberellins in the growth and development of carrot.

Hormone-mediated growth dynamics of the barley pericarp as revealed by magnetic resonance imaging and transcript profiling

The shape of the maternal pericarp affects cereal grain mass and yield. Pericarp growth was analysed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), revealing topological maps of mobile water in developing pericarp of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and displaying tissue regions actively elongating in specific temporal-spatial patterns. Correlation analysis of MRI signals and growth rates reveals that growth in length is mediated by dorsal and also lateral rather than ventral regions. Growth in thickness is related to ventral regions. Switching from dorsal to ventral growth is associated with differential expression of axial regulators of the HD-ZipIII and Kanadi/Ettin types, and NPH3 photoreceptors, suggesting light-mediated auxin re-distribution. Auxin increases with the highest levels in the basal pericarp at 6 days after fertilization (DAF), together with transcriptionally up-regulated auxin transport and signalling. Gibberellin biosynthesis is transcriptionally up-regulated only later, and levels of bioactive gibberellins increase from 7 to 13 DAF, with higher levels in ventral than dorsal regions. Differential gene expression related to cell expansion indicates genes related to apoplast acidification, wall relaxation, sugar cleavage, water transport, and cell wall biosynthesis. Candidate genes potentially involved in pericarp extension are distinguished by their temporal expression, representing potential isoforms responsible for dorsal-mediated early growth in length or ventral-mediated late growth in thickness.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of fructan metabolism in developing barley grains

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) grain development follows a series of defined morphological and physiological stages and depends on the supply of assimilates (mainly sucrose) from the mother plant. Here, spatio-temporal patterns of sugar distributions were investigated by mass spectrometric imaging, targeted metabolite analyses, and transcript profiling of microdissected grain tissues. Distinct spatio-temporal sugar balances were observed, which may relate to differentiation and grain filling processes. Notably, various types of oligofructans showed specific distribution patterns. Levan- and graminan-type oligofructans were synthesized in the cellularized endosperm prior to the commencement of starch biosynthesis, while during the storage phase, inulin-type oligofructans accumulated to a high concentration in and around the nascent endosperm cavity. In the shrunken endosperm mutant seg8, with a decreased sucrose flux toward the endosperm, fructan accumulation was impaired. The tight partitioning of oligofructan biosynthesis hints at distinct functions of the various fructan types in the young endosperm prior to starch accumulation and in the endosperm transfer cells that accomplish the assimilate supply toward the endosperm at the storage phase.