Gibberellin biosynthetic deficiency is responsible for maize dominant Dwarf11 (D11) mutant phenotype: physiological and transcriptomic evidence

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 12;8(6):e66466. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066466. Print 2013.

Abstract

Dwarf stature is introduced to improve lodging resistance and harvest index in crop production. In many crops including maize, mining and application of novel dwarf genes are urgent to overcome genetic bottleneck and vulnerability during breeding improvement. Here we report the characterization and expression profiling analysis of a newly identified maize dwarf mutant Dwarf11 (D11). The D11 displays severely developmental abnormalities and is controlled by a dominant Mendelian factor. The D11 seedlings responds to both GA3 and paclobutrazol (PAC) application, suggesting that dwarf phenotype of D11 is caused by GA biosynthesis instead of GA signaling deficiency. In contrast, two well-characterized maize dominant dwarf plants D8 and D9 are all insensitive to exogenous GA3 stimulation. Additionally, sequence variation of D8 and D9 genes was not identified in the D11 mutant. Microarray and qRT-PCR analysis results demonstrated that transcripts encoding GA biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes ent-kaurenoic acid oxidase (KAO), GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox), and GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox) are up-regulated in D11. Our results lay a foundation for the following D11 gene cloning and functional characterization. Moreover, results presented here may aid in crops molecular improvement and breeding, especially breeding of crops with plant height ideotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Biosynthetic Pathways / genetics*
  • Breeding / methods*
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA Primers / genetics
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gibberellins / biosynthesis*
  • Gibberellins / pharmacology
  • Microarray Analysis
  • Mixed Function Oxygenases / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phenotype*
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Species Specificity
  • Triazoles / pharmacology
  • Zea mays / genetics*
  • Zea mays / growth & development*

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • Gibberellins
  • Triazoles
  • paclobutrazol
  • gibberellic acid
  • Mixed Function Oxygenases
  • gibberellin, 2-oxoglutarate-oxygen oxidoreductase (20-hydroxylating, oxidizing)

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31201213), Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), and Innovative Foundation of Yangzhou University (2011CXJ046). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.