Starch Granule Size and Morphology of Arabidopsis thaliana Starch-Related Mutants Analyzed during Diurnal Rhythm and Development

Transitory starch plays a central role in the life cycle of plants. Many aspects of this important metabolism remain unknown; however, starch granules provide insight into this persistent metabolic process. Therefore, monitoring alterations in starch granules with high temporal resolution provides one significant avenue to improve understanding. Here, a previously established method that combines LCSM and safranin-O staining for in vivo imaging of transitory starch granules in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana was employed to demonstrate, for the first time, the alterations in starch granule size and morphology that occur both throughout the day and during leaf aging. Several starch-related mutants were included, which revealed differences among the generated granules. In ptst2 and sex1-8, the starch granules in old leaves were much larger than those in young leaves; however, the typical flattened discoid morphology was maintained. In ss4 and dpe2/phs1/ss4, the morphology of starch granules in young leaves was altered, with a more rounded shape observed. With leaf development, the starch granules became spherical exclusively in dpe2/phs1/ss4. Thus, the presented data provide new insights to contribute to the understanding of starch granule morphogenesis.

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Starch Granule Size and Morphology as a Proxy for Water Regime Influence on Zea mays

Ethnobiology Letters ◽

10.14237/ebl.12.1.2021.1725 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 35-43

Author(s):

Stefania Wilks ◽

Lisbeth A. Louderback ◽

Shannon Boomgarden

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Granule Size ◽

Plant Domestication ◽

Starch Granules ◽

Morphological Attributes ◽

Essential Parameter ◽

Size And Morphology ◽

Human Subsistence

A wealth of information on the patterns of human subsistence and plant domestication has been generated from studies on maize (Zea mays) starch granules. However, very little work has been conducted on how the size and morphology of those granules might change as a function of water stress during the growing season. In the arid Southwest, the role of irrigation in growing maize is an essential parameter in many foraging models. Our study seeks to determine if there are significant changes in the size and other morphological attributes of starch granules from maize planted at Range Creek Canyon under two different irrigation regimes ranging from little water (once every three weeks) to ample water (once a day). Our results provide data on the effects of irrigation on Z. mays starch granules and, therefore, have implications for identifying archaeological maize and possibly determining past water regimes at Range Creek Canyon.

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A carbohydrate-binding protein, B-GRANULE CONTENT 1, influences starch granule size distribution in a dose-dependent manner in polyploid wheat

Journal of Experimental Botany ◽

10.1093/jxb/erz405 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 105-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tansy Chia ◽

Marcella Chirico ◽

Rob King ◽

Ricardo Ramirez-Gonzalez ◽

Benedetta Saccomanno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Starch Synthesis ◽

Granule Size ◽

Starch Granules ◽

Grain Development ◽

Polyploid Wheat ◽

Gene Dose ◽

Dose Dependent ◽

B Granules

Abstract In Triticeae endosperm (e.g. wheat and barley), starch granules have a bimodal size distribution (with A- and B-type granules) whereas in other grasses the endosperm contains starch granules with a unimodal size distribution. Here, we identify the gene, BGC1 (B-GRANULE CONTENT 1), responsible for B-type starch granule content in Aegilops and wheat. Orthologues of this gene are known to influence starch synthesis in diploids such as rice, Arabidopsis, and barley. However, using polyploid Triticeae species, we uncovered a more complex biological role for BGC1 in starch granule initiation: BGC1 represses the initiation of A-granules in early grain development but promotes the initiation of B-granules in mid grain development. We provide evidence that the influence of BGC1 on starch synthesis is dose dependent and show that three very different starch phenotypes are conditioned by the gene dose of BGC1 in polyploid wheat: normal bimodal starch granule morphology; A-granules with few or no B-granules; or polymorphous starch with few normal A- or B-granules. We conclude from this work that BGC1 participates in controlling B-type starch granule initiation in Triticeae endosperm and that its precise effect on granule size and number varies with gene dose and stage of development.

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Influence of β-tricalcium phosphate granule size and morphology on tissue reaction in vivo

Acta Biomaterialia ◽

10.1016/j.actbio.2010.07.006 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

pp. 4476-4487 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

Shahram Ghanaati ◽

Mike Barbeck ◽

Carina Orth ◽

Ines Willershausen ◽

Benjamin W. Thimm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tricalcium Phosphate ◽

Tissue Reaction ◽

Granule Size ◽

Size And Morphology

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Starch granule size distribution in wheat grain in relation to phosphorus fertilization

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859611000475 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 150 (1) ◽

pp. 45-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Y. NI ◽

Z. WANG ◽

Y. YIN ◽

W. LI ◽

S. YAN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Amylose Content ◽

Granule Size ◽

High Yield ◽

Phosphorus Fertilization ◽

Equivalent Diameter ◽

Starch Granules ◽

P Fertilization ◽

Volume Proportion

SUMMARYStarch granule size distribution of wheat is an important characteristic that can affect its chemical composition and functionality. Phosphorus (P) fertilization has been studied extensively; however, little is known about its impact on starch granule size distribution in wheat. In the present study, two high-yield winter wheat cultivars were grown under different P fertilization conditions to evaluate its effect on starch granule size distribution and starch components in wheat grains at maturity. P fertilization resulted in a significant increase in the proportions (both by volume and by surface area) of B-type (<9·9 μm equivalent diameter (e.d.)) starch granules, with a reduction in those of A-type (>9·9 μm e.d.) starch granules. The P fertilization also increased starch content, amylose content and amylopectin content at maturity. However, P fertilization conditions significantly reduced the ratio of amylose to amylopectin, which showed a significant positive relationship with the volume proportion of granules 22·8–42·8 μm e.d. but was negatively related to the volume proportion of granules 2·8–9·9 μm e.d.

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Effects of sampling methods on starch granule size measurement of potato tubers under a light microscope

International Journal of Plant Biology ◽

10.4081/pb.2011.e5 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Xiu-Qing Li ◽

Jichong Zhang ◽

Sainan Luo ◽

Gongshe Liu ◽

Agnes Murphy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Starch Granule ◽

Sampling Methods ◽

Average Length ◽

Granule Size ◽

Starch Granules ◽

Size Measurement ◽

Potato Tubers ◽

Razor Blade ◽

Microscopic Measurement ◽

Microscopic Slide

Light-microscopic measurement of starch granule size is the preferred approach in most laboratories because it is simple, rapid and visual and because it can study both size and shape. However, potato juice consists of starch granules with very different sizes and precipitation/movement speeds, which causes differences when sampling the juice and taking the microscopic images. The previously described method is to scrape and transfer some juice from potatoes using a razor blade directly to a slide with some water for microscopic observation. In this study we used a tape-hole chamber on the microscopic slide to reduce the cover-slip-induced shifting of small and medium granules. We improved the starch measurement reproducibility by testing various juice sampling methods. The reproducibility between repeated experiments using 10 cultivars was increased from a correlation efficient r = 0.815 in the razor-blade-scraping method to r = 0.923 in a squeezing-juice method. The largest starch granule detected was 151 µm in length. Sampling methods (using a razor-blade or a garlic press) strongly influenced the granule length values measured from the same potato tuber. The results indicated that 1) The squeezing-juice approach is more reproducible, and 2) The average length of starch granules is one of the most reproducible scores but varies according to juice-sampling methods.

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Starch Granules in Arabidopsis thaliana Mesophyll and Guard Cells Show Similar Morphology but Differences in Size and Number

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22115666 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. 5666

Author(s):

Qingting Liu ◽

Xiaoping Li ◽

Joerg Fettke

Keyword(s):

Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽

Starch Synthesis ◽

Guard Cells ◽

Morphological Properties ◽

Fast Method ◽

Starch Granules ◽

Mesophyll Cells ◽

Laser Confocal Scanning Microscopy ◽

Transitory Starch ◽

Confocal Scanning

Transitory starch granules result from complex carbon turnover and display specific situations during starch synthesis and degradation. The fundamental mechanisms that specify starch granule characteristics, such as granule size, morphology, and the number per chloroplast, are largely unknown. However, transitory starch is found in the various cells of the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana, but comparative analyses are lacking. Here, we adopted a fast method of laser confocal scanning microscopy to analyze the starch granules in a series of Arabidopsis mutants with altered starch metabolism. This allowed us to separately analyze the starch particles in the mesophyll and in guard cells. In all mutants, the guard cells were always found to contain more but smaller plastidial starch granules than mesophyll cells. The morphological properties of the starch granules, however, were indiscernible or identical in both types of leaf cells.

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NegFluo, a Fast and Efficient Method to Determine Starch Granule Size and Morphology In Situ in Plant Chloroplasts

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2019.01075 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Camille Vandromme ◽

Angelina Kasprowicz ◽

Adeline Courseaux ◽

Dave Trinel ◽

Maud Facon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Efficient Method ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Granule Size ◽

Size And Morphology

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PII1: a protein involved in starch initiation that determines granule number and size in Arabidopsis chloroplast

10.1101/310003 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Camille Vandromme ◽

Corentin Spriet ◽

David Dauvillée ◽

Adeline Courseaux ◽

Jean-Luc Putaux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Length Distribution ◽

Soluble Starch ◽

Starch Granules ◽

Wild Type ◽

Granule Formation ◽

Chain Length Distribution ◽

Priming Process

AbstractThe initiation of starch granule formation is still poorly understood. However, soluble starch synthase 4 (SS4) appears to be a major component of this process since it is required to synthetize the correct number of starch granules in the chloroplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. A yeast-2-hybrid screen allowed the identification of several putative SS4 interacting partners. We identified the product of At4g32190 locus as a chloroplast-targeted PROTEIN INVOLVED IN STARCH INITIATION (named PII1). Arabidopsis mutants devoid of PII1 display an alteration of starch initiation process and accumulate, on average, one starch granule per plastid instead of the 5 to 7 granules found in plastids of wild-type plants. These granules are larger than in wild type and they remain flat and lenticular. pii1 mutants display wild-type growth rates and accumulate standard starch amounts. Moreover, starch characteristics, such as amylopectin chain length distribution, remain unchanged. Our results reveal the involvement of PII1 in starch priming process in Arabidopsis leaves through interaction with SS4.

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Starch granule size distribution from twelve wheat cultivars in east China’s Huaibei region

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2015-0048 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 96 (2) ◽

pp. 176-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Wenyang Li ◽

Suhui Yan ◽

Xiaqing Shi ◽

Congyu Zhang ◽

Qingqin Shao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Amylose Content ◽

Granule Size ◽

Volume Distribution ◽

Starch Granules ◽

Wheat Cultivars ◽

Volume Percentage ◽

Area Distribution ◽

Two Populations

The granule size distribution of starch strongly influences its physicochemical properties and the functionality of wheat. Twelve wheat cultivars grown in east China’s Huanghuai region were used for investigating the granule size distribution, amylose content, and their interrelationship. The results showed that the volume distribution of starch granules show the typical bimodal with peak values in the ranges of 4.44–5.36 µm and 21.7–23.82 µm, respectively. Surface area distribution of granules was also bimodal with peak values in the ranges of 2.53–3.06 µm and 19.8–21.7 µm, respectively. The limits between the two populations both occurred at 10 µm. A typical population of number distribution of granules with peak values in the range of 0.52–0.67 µm. Proportions of granules <2.6 µm, 2.6–10 µm, and 10–40 µm were in the range of 10.06–13.63%, 28.54–41.6%, and 45.4–61.3% of total volume, respectively. Proportions of granules <10 µm were in the range of 99.9% of the total number. The amylose content was significant and negatively correlated to volume percentage of granule <10 µm, and significant and positively correlated to the volume percentage of granule 22–40 µm.

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Starch granule size distribution in wheat grain in relation to shading after anthesis

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859609990554 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 148 (2) ◽

pp. 183-189 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

W. LI ◽

S. YAN ◽

Y. YIN ◽

Z. WANG

Keyword(s):

Light Intensity ◽

Grain Yield ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Starch Granule ◽

Grain Filling ◽

Granule Size ◽

Wheat Starch ◽

High Yield ◽

Starch Accumulation ◽

Starch Granules

SUMMARYGranule size distribution of wheat starch is an important characteristic that may affect the functionality of wheat products. Light intensity is one of the main factors affecting grain yield and quality. Two high-yield winter wheat cultivars were grown under shade to evaluate the effect of low light intensity after anthesis on starch granule size distribution and starch components in wheat grains at maturity. Shading caused a marked drop in both grain yield and starch yield and led to a significant reduction in the proportion (both by volume and by surface area) of B-type starch granules (⩽9·9 μm), with an increase in those of A-type starch granules (>9·9 μm). This would suggest that the production of B-type starch granules was more sensitive to shading than that of A-type starch granules. It was also found that the proportion by volume of A-type starch granules was significantly increased and that of B-type starch granules was significantly decreased by shading at different grain filling stages, especially at middle and late grain-filling stages. However, shading had little effect on the proportional number of B-type starch granules. The present results suggested that, under dim light conditions, the limited substrate for starch accumulation was mainly partitioned towards hypertrophy (larger granules) not hyperplasia (more) of starch granules.

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