Lack Of Starch Research Articles

Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals hub proteins for high temperature-induced male sterility in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

High-temperature (HT) stress can induce male sterility in wheat; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study examined proteomic alterations across three developmental stages between normal and HT-induced male-sterile (HT-ms) anthers in wheat. Utilizing tandem mass tags-based proteomics, we identified 2532 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs): 27 in the tetrad stage, 157 in the binuclear stage, and 2348 in the trinuclear stage. Analyses through Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways indicated significant enrichment of these DAPs in seven pathways, namely phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, sphingolipid metabolism, MAPK signaling pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism, response to heat, and response to reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our results indicated the downregulation of DAPs associated with phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and starch and sucrose metabolism, which aligns with anther indehiscence and the lack of starch in HT-ms anthers. By contrast, DAPs in the ROS pathway were upregulated, which aligns with excessive ROS accumulation in HT-ms anthers. Additionally, we conducted protein-protein interaction analysis for the DAPs of these pathways, identifying 15 hub DAPs. The abundance of these hub proteins was confirmed through qRT-PCR, assessing mRNA expression levels of the corresponding transcripts. Collectively, these results offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying HT-induced male sterility in wheat at the proteomic level, providing a valuable resource for further research in plant sexual reproduction.

Diverse geotropic responses in the orchid family.

In epiphytes, aerial roots are important to combat water-deficient, nutrient-poor, and high-irradiance microhabitats. However, whether aerial roots can respond to gravity and whether auxin plays a role in regulating aerial root development remain open-ended questions. Here, we investigated the gravitropic response of the epiphytic orchid Phalaenopsis aphrodite. Our data showed that aerial roots of P. aphrodite failed to respond to gravity, and this was correlated with a lack of starch granules/statolith sedimentation in the roots and the absence of the auxin efflux carrier PIN2 gene. Using an established auxin reporter, we discovered that auxin maximum was absent in the quiescent center of aerial roots of P. aphrodite. Also, gravity failed to trigger auxin redistribution in the root caps. Hence, loss of gravity sensing and gravity-dependent auxin redistribution may be the genetic factors contributing to aerial root development. Moreover, the architectural and functional innovations that achieve fast gravitropism in the flowering plants appear to be lost in both terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, but are present in the early diverged orchid subfamilies. Taken together, our findings provide physiological and molecular evidence to support the notion that epiphytic orchids lack gravitropism and suggest diverse geotropic responses in the orchid family.

Effects of Physical and Chemical Factors on the Structure of Gluten, Gliadins and Glutenins as Studied with Spectroscopic Methods.

This review presents applications of spectroscopic methods, infrared and Raman spectroscopies in the studies of the structure of gluten network and gluten proteins (gliadins and glutenins). Both methods provide complimentary information on the secondary and tertiary structure of the proteins including analysis of amide I and III bands, conformation of disulphide bridges, behaviour of tyrosine and tryptophan residues, and water populations. Changes in the gluten structure can be studied as an effect of dough mixing in different conditions (e.g., hydration level, temperature), dough freezing and frozen storage as well as addition of different compounds to the dough (e.g., dough improvers, dietary fibre preparations, polysaccharides and polyphenols). Additionally, effect of above mentioned factors can be determined in a common wheat dough, model dough (prepared from reconstituted flour containing only wheat starch and wheat gluten), gluten dough (lack of starch), and in gliadins and glutenins. The samples were studied in the hydrated state, in the form of powder, film or in solution. Analysis of the studies presented in this review indicates that an adequate amount of water is a critical factor affecting gluten structure.

Ultrastructure of plastids serves as reliable abiotic and biotic stress marker.

Plastids perform many essential functions in plant metabolism including photosynthesis, synthesis of metabolites, and stress signaling. The most prominent type in green leaves is the chloroplast which contains thylakoids, plastoglobules, and starch. As these structures are closely linked to the metabolism of chloroplasts, changes during plant growth and development and during environmental stress situations are likely to occur. The aim of this study was to characterize changes in size and ultrastructure of chloroplast on cross-sections of leaves during high light stress, Botrytis infection, and dark induced senescence by quantitative transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The size of chloroplasts on cross sections of leaves decreased significantly when plants were subject to high light (49%), Botrytis infection (58%), and senescence (71%). The number of chloroplasts on cross sections of the palisade cell layer and spongy parenchyma, respectively, decreased significantly in plants exposed to high light conditions (48% and 29%), infected with Botrytis (48% and 46%), and during senescence (78% and 80%). Thylakoids on cross-sections of chloroplasts decreased significantly in plants exposed to high light (22%), inoculated with Botrytis cinerea (36%), and senescence (51%). This correlated with a massive increase in plastoglobules on cross-sections of chloroplasts of 88%, 2,306% and 19,617%, respectively. Starch contents on cross sections of chloroplasts were completely diminished in all three stress scenarios. These results demonstrate that the decrease in the number and size of chloroplasts is a reliable stress marker in plants during abiotic and biotic stress situations which can be easily detected with a light microscope. Further, lack of starch, the occurrence of large plastoglobules and decrease in thylakoids can also be regarded as reliable stress marker in plants which can be detected by TEM.

The impact of day length on cell division and efficiency of light use in a starchless mutant of Tetradesmus obliquus

Large scale microalgal production will be primarily done under natural sunlight conditions, where microalgae will be exposed to diurnal cycles of light and dark (LD) and to differences in the length of both periods (photoperiod). Tetradesmus obliquus (formerly known as Scenedesmus obliquus), a strain with potential for biofuel production, and the starchless mutant slm1 were grown under 3 different LD periods: 16:8 h, 14:10 h and 12:12 h. Cell division started a fix number of hours after the light went on (sunrise), independently of the length of the photoperiod. For the wild-type, cell division started approximately 14 h after the beginning of the day and occurred mainly at night. For the starchless mutant slm1, timing of cell division was also independent of the photoperiod length (starting 10–12 h after sunrise). However, as opposed to the wild-type, cell division always started during the day. For both strains, growth rate increased with increased length of the light period. The slm1 mutant is capable of surviving long dark periods (up to 12 h) despite the lack of starch. In general, the slm1 mutant has a lower photosynthetic efficiency than the wild-type, with the 12:12 h LD resulting into even less efficiency than the other two LD cycles.

Molecular and structural changes in vegetative buds of Norway spruce during dormancy in natural weather conditions.

The dormancy and the growth of trees in temperate climates are synchronized with seasons. Preparation for dormancy and its proper progression are key for survival and development in the next season. Using a unique approach that combined microscopy and proteomic methods, we investigated changes in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) embryonic shoots during four distinct stages of dormancy in natural weather conditions. We identified 13 proteins that varied among dormancy stages, and were linked to regulation of protein level; functioning of chloroplasts and other plastids; DNA and RNA regulation; and oxidative stress. We also found a group of five proteins, related to cold hardiness, that did not differ in expression among stages of dormancy, but had the highest abundancy level. Ultrastructure of organelles is tightly linked to their metabolic activity, and hence may indicate dormancy status. The observed ultrastructure during endodormancy was stable, whereas during ecodormancy, the structural changes were dynamic and related mainly to nucleus, plastids and mitochondria. At the ultrastructural level, the lack of starch and the presence of callose in plasmodesmata in all regions of embryonic shoot were indicators of full endodormancy. At the initiation of ecodormancy, we noted an increase in metabolic activity of organelles, tissue-specific starch hyperaccumulation and degradation. However, in proteomic analysis, we did not find variation in expression of proteins related to starch degradation or to symplastic isolation of cells. The combination of ultrastructural and proteomic methods gave a more complete picture of vegetative bud dormancy than either of them applied separately. We found some changes at the structural level, but not their analogues in the proteome. Our study suggests a very important role of plastids' organization and metabolism, and their protection in the course of dormancy and during the shift from endo- to ecodormancy and the acquisition of growth competence.

The Mysterious Rescue of adg1-1/tpt-2 – an Arabidopsis thaliana Double Mutant Impaired in Acclimation to High Light – by Exogenously Supplied Sugars

An Arabidopsis thaliana double mutant (adg1-1/tpt-2) defective in the day- and night-path of photoassimilate export from the chloroplast due to a knockout in the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT; tpt-2) and a lack of starch [mutation in ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase); adg1-1] exhibits severe growth retardation, a decrease in the photosynthetic capacity, and a high chlorophyll fluorescence (HCF) phenotype under high light conditions. These phenotypes could be rescued when the plants were grown on sucrose (Suc) or glucose (Glc). Here we address the question whether Glc-sensing hexokinase1 (HXK1) defective in the Glc insensitive 2 (gin2-1) mutant is involved in the sugar-dependent rescue of adg1-1/tpt-2. Triple mutants defective in the TPT, AGPase, and HXK1 (adg1-1/tpt-2/gin2-1) were established as homozygous lines and grown together with Col-0 and Landsberg erecta (Ler) wild-type plants, gin2-1, the adg1-1/tpt-2 double mutant, and the adg1-1/tpt-2/gpt2-1 triple mutant [additionally defective in the glucose 6-phosphate/phosphate translocator 2 (GPT2)] on agar in the presence or absence of 50 mM of each Glc, Suc, or fructose (Fru). The growth phenotype of the double mutant and both triple mutants could be rescued to a similar extent only by Glc and Suc, but not by Fru. All three sugars were capable of rescuing the HCF and photosynthesis phenotype, irrespectively of the presence or absence of HXK1. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses of sugar-responsive genes revealed that plastidial HXK (pHXK) was up-regulated in adg1-1/tpt-2 plants grown on sugars, but showed no response in adg1-1/tpt-2/gin2-1. It appears likely that soluble sugars are directly taken up by the chloroplasts and enter further metabolism, which consumes ATP and NADPH from the photosynthetic light reaction and thereby rescues the photosynthesis phenotype of the double mutant. The implication of sugar turnover and probably signaling inside the chloroplasts for the concept of retrograde signaling is discussed.

Fully reversible phenotypic plasticity of digestive physiology in young house sparrows: lack of long-term effect of early diet composition

Feeding conditions during the nestling period may significantly affect whole-life fitness in altricial birds but little is known about the physiological mechanisms responsible for these effects. Permanent changes (irreversible developmental plasticity) in digestive physiology caused by the neonatal diet may form such a mechanism. We previously showed that the lack of starch in the diet of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings between 3 and 12 days post-hatching significantly decreased the activity of intestinal maltase, an enzyme essential for starch digestion. To check whether diet-induced variation in maltase activity in young house sparrows is reversible, we raised them under laboratory conditions from 3 until 30 days of age on diets with either 0% starch or 25% starch, with some individuals experiencing a switch in their assigned diet at 12 days of age. We found evidence for the presence of an internal, presumably genetic, program for changes in the activity of maltase and sucrase, which was, however, significantly affected by diet composition (i.e. environmental factor). Digestive enzyme activity in 30 day old birds was not influenced by diet composition prior to day 12 but instead depended only on diet that was fed between days 12 and 30. We conclude that plasticity in the activity of intestinal disaccharidases in house sparrow nestlings represents completely reversible phenotypic flexibility that can help young sparrows to cope with unpredictable variation in food composition during ontogeny without long-term effects on their digestive system. However, comparison with other species suggests that the magnitude of digestive flexibility in young passerines may be evolutionarily matched to species-specific variation in feeding conditions.

Plant microfossil analysis of coprolites of the critically endangered kakapo ( Strigops habroptilus) parrot from New Zealand

We present here the results of the analysis of pollen, spores, starch and other microscopic plant material in 52 coprolites of the critically endangered kakapo ( Strigops habroptilus), a New Zealand endemic parrot. The six sampling sites (caves, rock overhangs) are in widely separate geographic regions in the South Island, across an altitudinal range encompassing lowland, montane and sub-alpine environments. Radiometric testing gives average ages of discrete coprolite groups ranging from modern to 2514 ± 43 14C yr BP (Wk-19164). A wide variety of plant taxa is identified in the coprolites, comprising cones, flowers, leaves and fronds of ~ 30 podocarps, dicotyledonous trees, shrubs and lianas, grasses, ferns, lycopods, mosses and liverworts. This supports previous observations that kakapo are versatile feeders, using a broad spectrum of foods that may only be available for short periods and intermittent years. Many of the food taxa we identify are consistent with the studies of modern kakapo diet. We also identify several new foods, potentially of value in developing food supplements to increase breeding frequency of the current kakapo population. The most commonly identified plant parts in coprolites were fern fronds (monoletes, Hymenophyllum, Cyathea smithii), followed by podocarp cones and leaves. Lack of starch in the coprolites suggests that the lycopod and fern rhizomes reported in modern kakapo diet were not commonly eaten. The data provide initial botanical evidence of diet from coprolites of an extant bird.

Light and Electron Microscopic Study on the Mycorrhizae of Sporophytes of Botrychium virginianum ‐ Arbuscular Structure Resembling Fossil Forms

Abstract: The mycorrhizal structures of the sporophyte of the strictly protected fern Botrychium virginianum were studied by light and electron microscopy. The paper presented here is the first ultrastructural study of the mycorrhiza of the sporophyte of the genus Botrychium. The fungal colonization is restricted to two to three cell layers of the root cortex. The sometimes bifurcately ramifying hyphae form coils in the host cells. Single hypha arising from the coils penetrates into neighbouring cells and form arbuscules therein. The electron micrographs show high functional activity of the arbuscules, characterized by high glycogen‐like content in the hyphae, a thin layer of filamentous matrix material in the interface between fungus and root cell, frequent cell organelles in the cytoplasm and lack of starch in the host cells containing arbuscules. The main distinctive feature of the mycorrhizae of Botrychium virginianum is the morphology of the arbuscules, which differs not only from the common fine‐branched arbuscules, but also from the special structures reported previously from Ophioglossaceae. The robust, lobe‐like branching arbuscules most resemble arbuscule structures found in Triassic fossils.

Starch biosynthesis during pollen maturation is associated with altered patterns of gene expression in maize.

Starch biosynthesis during pollen maturation is not well understood in terms of genes/proteins and intracellular controls that regulate it in developing pollen. We have studied two specific developmental stages: "early," characterized by the lack of starch, before or during pollen mitosis I; and "late," an actively starch-filling post-pollen mitosis I phase in S-type cytoplasmic male-sterile (S-CMS) and two related male-fertile genotypes. The male-fertile starch-positive, but not the CMS starch-deficient, genotypes showed changes in the expression patterns of a large number of genes during this metabolic transition. In addition to a battery of housekeeping genes of carbohydrate metabolism, we observed changes in hexose transporter, plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase, ZmMADS1, and 14-3-3 proteins. Reduction or deficiency in 14-3-3 protein levels in all three major cellular sites (amyloplasts [starch], mitochondria, and cytosol) in male-sterile relative to male-fertile genotypes are of potential interest because of interorganellar communication in this CMS system. Further, the levels of hexose sugars were significantly reduced in male-sterile as compared with male-fertile tissues, not only at "early" and "late" stages but also at an earlier point during meiosis. Collectively, these data suggest that combined effects of both reduced sugars and their reduced flux in starch biosynthesis along with a strong possibility for altered redox passage may lead to the observed temporal changes in gene expressions, and ultimately pollen sterility.

Developmental Pattern and Structural Organisation of Leaf Chloroplasts in Lepidozamia peroffskyana

The ontogenesis of chloroplasts during leaf development in Lepidozamia peroffskyana Regel is described; this cycad lives in the ground layer of the evergreen subtropical closed forest of south-eastern Australia. Characteristic features in young plastids are long bands of multilayered thylakoids, resembling photosynthetic structures of some green algae and ferns. 'Optional' structures, namely prothylakoid bodies and crystalline inclusions, are present in the pre-grana stages, in relation to the slow rate of leaf development. Mature chloroplasts are characterised by a great number of randomly oriented high grana stacks, a lack of starch, a high ratio of appressed to exposed thylakoids, and a low ratio of Chl a to Chl b; these shade features appear coherent with the natural habitat of Lepidozamia. However, since similar structures have been reported in mature chloroplasts of other cycads living in exposed sites, the existence of a genetically superimposed structural pattern is hypothesised, reflecting a primitive adaptation to weak light conditions of this group of ancient seed plants.

Stage heterogeneity of generative and vegetative cells in pollen grains of dehiscent anthers of two cultivars ofMalus domestica Borkh: ?Golden Delicious? and ?Starkrimson?

Pollen grains of dehiscent anthers of two cultivars ofMalus domestica “Golden Delicious” (partially self-incompatible) and “Starkrimson” (self-incompatible) were studied by Feulgen cytophotometry and starch staining. The collected results show: I) in both cultivars generative cells in G1 (DNA content/nucleus 1 c) and in G2 (DNA content/nucleus 2 c) are present; II) in both cultivars vegetative cells may be characterized by the lack of starch, or by its presence in variable amount; III) when single pollen grains are considered, G1 and G2 generative cells can be present in concomitance with starch free or with starch containing vegetative cells.

Survey of Anatomy, Ergastic Substances, and Nuclear Size in Echinocystis macrocarpa and Cucurbita pepo

1. In Echinocystis macrocarpa the large differentiating vessels of the secondary xylem furnish excellent material for the study of giant nuclei. 2. The massive tuber is made up of storage parenchyma and a complex vascular network. Microscopically visible ergastic substances include abundant starch and a few small oil droplets. Immediate reaction with Millon's reagent indicates high protein. The core of the tuber is demarcated by amber color, lack of starch, and tissue shrinkage resulting in cleavage cracks. 3. Ergastic substances in the short-lived shoot are limited to rather abundant starch in the chlorenchyma of the outer cortex and in the sieve tubes and scattered starch grains and oil droplets in other tissues. High protein is indicated in sieve tubes and curiously also in the cell walls of collenchyma, pericycle, crushed phloem, and the xylem. Calcium oxalate is absent throughout practically the entire plant. 4. Structure and development of fruit and seed are outlined. Reaction is marked in the microscopically visible granular protein of the embryo cotyledons. 5. The differentiating vessels contain nuclei of relatively great size, the maximum 85 μ in diameter and 330,023 cu. μ in volume. This confirms the opinion expressed after the study of Ricinus that giant nuclei are of general occurrence in wide-vesseled plants. 6. The scale of nuclear growth is reckoned in comparison with the size of the meristem nuclei, 33 cu. μ = V. The cambial nuclei remain consistently small, 432 cu. μ = 13V, while the nuclei of hairs, collenchyma, and other vegetative tissues range from 4 to 187V. Endosperm nuclei measure 3,883V during early stages of growth. 7. Giant nuclei appear to be either in the resting or in the prophase condition. A surface network of chromatin is apparent. The nucleoli, one or more in number, are extremely variable in outline and contain minute, highly refractive droplets. 8. Shrinkage in volume, probably due to water loss, may result from sectioning. Nuclei in living parenchymatous cells when first mounted are outlined by encircling chloroplasts, translucent and therefore practically invisible. Their diameter is approximately twice that of nuclei in exactly similar closely adjacent nonliving cells. (A nonliving cell is here defined as one in which no trace of protoplasmic rotation or circulation can be detected.) 9. Contraction in volume is induced by dehydration of fresh material with absolute alcohol. The volume of free water ranges from 39 to 82 per cent. Actual increase in nuclear material is reckoned by comparison of the contracted nuclei with the meristem nuclear volume, V = 33, and amounts to 86-232 V. 10. The ratio of cell volume/nuclear volume in isolated typical cells from various tissues illustrates the variability of this figure (15:1 in meristem to 152:1 in vessels). 11. Cucurbita pepo is essentially similar to Echinocystis in the anatomy of the shoot. The nuclei in the developing vessels are somewhat smaller and reach a maximum of 66 μ and 163,643 cu. μ in diameter and volume. 12. Comparison of living material and prepared slides on both Echinocystis and Cucurbita indicates the necessity of the former in all studies pertaining to cell and nuclear growth.