Decomposition of (1–3,1–4)-β-Glucan and Expression of the (1–3,1–4) -β-Glucanase Gene in Rice Stems during Ripening

Abstract

To elucidate the possible participation of hemicellulose decomposition in lodging resistance, we studied the change of hemicellulose and cellulose content in the stems of rice during the ripening stage by methylation analysis and the expression of related genes by Northern blotting. In the rice stem in ripening stage, content of (1-3,1-4)-β-glucan, a component of hemicellulose, decreased markedly although the content of arabinoxylan, a major component of hemicellulose, and cellulose showed little change during the same growth period. On the other hand, expression of the Gns 1 gene, which may encode (1-3,1-4) -β-glucanase that catalyzes the degradation of (1-3,14) -β-glucan, increased sharply in the stem. The mechanism of decomposition of (1-3,1-4) -β-glucan in rice stem and the possible association with lodging resistance is discussed.