Effects of Weak Light on Starch Accumulation and Starch Synthesis Enzyme Activities in Rice at the Grain Filling Stage

Dynamic changes of starch, amylose, sucrose contents and the activities of starch synthesis enzymes under shading treatments alter flowering were studied using two rice varieties IR72 （indica） and Nipponbare （japonica） as materials. Under shading treatments, the starch, amylose and sucrose contents decreased, while ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase （ADPGPPase） activity only changed a little, soluble starch synthase activity and granule bound starch synthase activity decreased, soluble starch branching enzyme （SSBE, Q-enzyme） activity and granule bound starch branching enzyme （GBSBE, Q-enzyme） activity increased, and starch debranching enzyme （DBE, R-enzyme） activity varied with varieties. Correlation analyses showed that the changes of starch content were positively and significantly correlated with the changes of sucrose content in the weak light. Both ADPGPPase activity and SSBE activity were positively and significantly correlated with starch accumulation rate. It was implied that the decline of starch synthase activities was related to the decrease of starch content and the increase of the activity of starch branching enzyme played an important role in the decrease of the ratio of amylose to the total starch under the weak light.

Environmentally Induced Under-Development of Seeds in Garden Pea and Its Underlying Factors

Under-development of pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds in normally developed pods, resulting in “unfilled pods”, has been a serious problem in the greenhouse cultivation in Wakayama Prefecture, one of the major regions of pea cultivation in Japan. This phenomenon appears to be induced by low temperature and low solar irradiation during pea growing season. This study examined the relationship between this seed under-development and sucrose-to-starch metabolism in developing seeds and pods after flowering. The starch content, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and sucrose synthase activities of a pea cultivar, Kishuusui, were monitored through seed development in shading-treatment plot and in control plot. Results showed that the present treatment induced the depression of starch accumulation and AGPase activity in developing seeds compared with control, which might cause the occurrence of under-development of seeds and unfilled pods. Surplus carbohydrates from source organs might be stored in pod walls, as expected from higher starch level and AGPase activity in treated pod walls. The necessity of thermostable AGPase variants in pea to prevent the unfilled-pod problem was discussed.

Effects of the activities of key enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis on the fine structure of amylopectin in developing rice (Oryza sativa L.) endosperms

The dynamic changes of the activities of enzymes involving in starch biosynthesis, including ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), soluble starch synthases (SSS), starch branching enzyme (SBE) and starch debranching enzymes (DBE) were studied, and changes of fine structure of amy- lopectin were characterized by isoamylase treatment during rice grain development, using trans anti-waxy gene rice plants. The relationships between the activities of those key enzymes were also analyzed. The amylose synthesis was significantly inhibited in transgenic Wanjing 9522, but the total starch content and final grain weight were less affected as compared with those of non-transgenic Wanjing 9522 rice cultivar. Analyses on the changes of activities of enzymes involving in starch bio- synthesis showed that different enzyme activities were expressed differently during rice endosperm development. Soluble starch synthase is relatively highly expressed in earlier stage of endosperm de- velopment, whilst maximal expression of granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) occurred in mid-stage of endosperm development. No obvious differences in changes of the activities of AGPase and SBE between two rice cultivars investigated, except the DBEs. Distribution patterns of branches of amy- lopectin changed continually during the development of rice grains and varied between two rice culti- vars. It was suggested that amylopectin synthesis be prior to the synthesis of amylose and different enzymes have different roles in controlling syntheses of branches of amylopectin.