Abstract
BACKGROUND: Rubisco activase (RCA) regulates the activity of Rubisco and is a key enzyme of photosynthesis. RCA expression was widely reported to affect plant photosynthesis and crop yield, but the molecular basis of natural variation in RCA expression in a wide range of maize materials has not been fully elucidated. RESULTS: In this study, correlation analysis in approximately 200 maize inbred lines revealed a significantly positive correlation between the expression of maize RCA gene ZmRCAβ and grain yield. A genome-wide association study revealed both cis-expression quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTLs) and trans-eQTLs underlying the expression of ZmRCAβ, with the latter playing a more important role. Further allele mining and genetic transformation analysis showed that a 2-bp insertion and a 14-bp insertion in the promoter of ZmRCAβ conferred increased gene expression. Because rice is reported to have higher RCA gene expression than does maize, we subsequently compared the genetic factors underlying RCA gene expression between maize and rice. The promoter activity of the rice RCA gene was shown to be stronger than that of the maize RCA gene, suggesting that replacing the maize RCA gene promoter with that of the rice RCA gene would improve the expression of RCA in maize. CONCLUSION: Our results revealed two DNA polymorphisms regulating maize RCA gene ZmRCAβ expression, and the RCA gene promoter activity of rice was stronger than that of maize. This work increased understanding of the genetic mechanism that underlies RCA gene expression and identify new targets for both genetic engineering and selection for maize yield improvement.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Across about 200 maize inbred lines, expression of ZmRCAβ correlated significantly and positively with grain yield.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“correlation analysis in approximately 200 maize inbred lines revealed a significantly positive correlation between the expression of maize RCA gene ZmRCAβ and grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
trans-eQTLs played a more important role than cis-eQTLs in ZmRCAβ expression.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cis-expression quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTLs) and trans-eQTLs underlying the expression of ZmRCAβ, with the latter playing a more important role”
t0“maize rubisco activase gene expression”
Claim · model-written summary
A 2-bp insertion and a 14-bp insertion in the ZmRCAβ promoter conferred increased gene expression.
- Gene
- ZmRCAβe0
- Outcome
- gene expressione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- 2-bp insertion and a 14-bp insertion in the promotere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 2-bp insertion and a 14-bp insertion in the promoter of ZmRCAβ conferred increased gene expression”
t0“maize rubisco activase gene expression”
Claim · model-written summary
The promoter activity of the rice RCA gene was stronger than that of the maize RCA gene.
- Taxon
- rice
Oryza sativae0 - Outcome
- promoter activitye0
- Direction
- strongere0
- Comparator
- maize RCA genee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The promoter activity of the rice RCA gene was shown to be stronger than that of the maize RCA gene”
Claim · model-written summary
Replacing the maize RCA gene promoter with the rice RCA gene promoter would improve RCA expression in maize.
- Treatment
- replacing the maize RCA gene promoter with that of the rice RCA genee0
- Outcome
- expression of RCAe0
- Direction
- improvee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“replacing the maize RCA gene promoter with that of the rice RCA gene would improve the expression of RCA in maize”
The same questions in other papers
Oryza sativa · physiology: photosynthesis · Zea mays (maize)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.