OsSHMT4 Is Required for Synthesis of Rice Storage Protein and Storage Organelle Formation in Endosperm Cells
Mengyuan Yan,
Ziyue Zhou,
Juling Feng,
Xiuhao Bao,
Zhengrong Jiang,
Zhiwei Dong,
Meijie Chai,
Ming Tan,
Libei Li,
Yaoliang Cao,
Zhanbo Ke,
Jingchen Wu,
Zhen Feng,
Tian Pan
Affiliations
Mengyuan Yan
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Ziyue Zhou
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Juling Feng
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Xiuhao Bao
Institute of Crop Sciences, Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315000, China
Zhengrong Jiang
College of Agronomy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Zhiwei Dong
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Meijie Chai
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Ming Tan
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Libei Li
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Yaoliang Cao
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Zhanbo Ke
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Jingchen Wu
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Zhen Feng
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Tian Pan
The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Storage proteins are essential for seed germination and seedling growth, as they provide an indispensable nitrogen source and energy. Our previous report highlighted the defective endosperm development in the serine hydroxymethyltransferase 4 (OsSHMT4) gene mutant, floury endosperm20-1 (flo20-1). However, the alterations in storage protein content and distribution within the flo20-1 endosperm remained unclear. Here, the immunocytochemistry analyses revealed a deficiency in storage protein accumulation in flo20-1. Electron microscopic observation uncovered abnormal morphological structures in protein bodies (PBI and PBII) in flo20-1. Immunofluorescence labeling demonstrated that aberrant prolamin composition could lead to the subsequent formation and deposition of atypical structures in protein body I (PBI), and decreased levels of glutelins and globulin resulted in protein body II (PBII) malformation. Further RNA-seq data combined with qRT-PCR results indicated that altered transcription levels of storage protein structural genes were responsible for the abnormal synthesis and accumulation of storage protein, which further led to non-concentric ring structural PBIs and amorphous PBIIs. Collectively, our findings further underscored that OsSHMT4 is required for the synthesis and accumulation of storage proteins and storage organelle formation in endosperm cells.
