Structure and histochemistry of sorghum caryopsis in relation to grain-filling

Anatomical and histochemical studies of ovary and caryopsis of sorghum reveal the importance of the chalazal complex in transporting nutrients from maternal sources to the filial diploid embryo and triploid endosperm. The presence of starch, protein, lipid, Ca, K, Mg, and Fe in various tissues at different stages of development can be revealed by a variety of histochemical techniques. Vascular supply ends at the base of the ovary and transport occurs through vascular parenchyma, pigment strand and nucellar projection where symplastic continuity is broken. Nutrients unloaded into an apoplastic placental sac then enter the endosperm and embryo through the aleurone transfer cells. The later possess characteristic wall ingrowth. The single layer of aleurone surrounding the endosperm may also help in transport during later stages of grain-filling. Grain-filling in C4 sorghum is compared with other C4 and C3 grasses showing the variety of strategies evolved to transport nutrients into filial tissues. Standardization of terminologies to describe the tissues of the crease region will help in further research and communication.

Mineral Element Composition in Grain of Awned and Awnletted Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivars: Tissue-Specific Iron Speciation and Phytate and Non-Phytate Ligand Ratio

In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the awns—the bristle-like structures extending from lemmas—are photosynthetically active. Compared to awned cultivars, awnletted cultivars produce more grains per unit area and per spike, resulting in significant reduction in grain size, but their mineral element composition remains unstudied. Nine awned and 11 awnletted cultivars were grown simultaneously in the field. With no difference in 1000-grain weight, a larger calcium and manganese—but smaller iron (Fe) concentrations—were found in whole grain of awned than in awnletted cultivars. Micro X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis of different tissues of frozen-hydrated grain cross-sections revealed that differences in total Fe concentration were not accompanied by differences in Fe speciation (64% of Fe existed as ferric and 36% as ferrous species) or Fe ligands (53% were phytate and 47% were non-phytate ligands). In contrast, there was a distinct tissue-specificity with pericarp containing the largest proportion (86%) of ferric species and nucellar projection (49%) the smallest. Phytate ligand was predominant in aleurone, scutellum and embryo (72%, 70%, and 56%, respectively), while nucellar projection and pericarp contained only non-phytate ligands. Assuming Fe bioavailability depends on Fe ligands, we conclude that Fe bioavailability from wheat grain is tissue specific.

SWEET11 and 15 as key players in seed filling in rice

SummaryDespite the relevance of seed filling mechanisms for crop yield, we still have only a rudimentary understanding of the pathways and transport processes for supplying the caryopsis with sugars. We hypothesized that the recently identified SWEET sucrose transporters may play important roles in nutrient import pathways in the rice caryopsis.We used a combination of mRNA quantification, histochemical analyses, translational promoter-reporter fusions and analysis of knock out mutants created by genomic editing to evaluate the contribution of SWEET transporters to seed filling.In rice caryopses, SWEET11 and 15 had the highest mRNA levels and proteins localized to four key sites: the nucellus proper at early stages, the nucellar projection close to the dorsal vein, the nucellar epidermis that surrounds the endosperm, and the aleurone. ossweet11;15 double knock-out lines accumulated starch in the pericarp while caryopses did not contain a functional endosperm.Jointly, SWEET11 and 15 show all hallmarks of being responsible for seed filling with sucrose efflux function at the nucellar projection and transfer across the nucellar epidermis/aleurone interface, delineating two major steps for apoplasmic seed filling, observations that are discussed in relation to observations made in rice and barely on the relative prevalence of these two potential import routes.

Sucrose transport-related genes are expressed in both maternal and filial tissues of developing wheat grains

In developing wheat grains (Triticum turgidum var. durum cv. Fransawi), post-sieve element transport of phloem-imported photoassimilates (sucrose) includes membrane transport, to and from the grain apoplasm, between symplasmically-isolated maternal and filial tissues. The cellular location and mechanism of these membrane transport steps were explored during rapid grain fill. Genomic Southern analysis indicated the presence of a multigene family of sucrose/H + symporters (SUTs). One or more SUTs were highly expressed in developing grains, as were P-type H + /ATPase(s) and a sucrose binding protein (SBP). Transcripts of these genes were detected in vascular parenchyma, nucellar projection and aleurone cells. Antibodies, raised against a SUT, an H + /ATPase and a SBP, were selectively bound to plasma membranes of vascular parenchyma cells, nucellar projection transfer cells and modified aleurone/sub-aleurone transfer cells. The nucellar projection transfer cells and modified aleurone/sub-aleurone transfer cells exhibited strong proton pumping activity. In contrast, SUT transport function was restricted to filial tissues containing modified aleurone/sub-aleurone transfer cells. Based on these findings, we conclude that SUTs expressed in maternal tissues do not function as sucrose/H + symporters. Membrane exchange from nucellar projection transfer cells to the endosperm cavity occurs by an as yet unresolved mechanism. Sucrose uptake from the endosperm cavity into filial tissues is mediated by a SUT localised to plasma membranes of the modified aleurone/sub-aleurone transfer cells.