Biotech Updates

Psychedelic Genes Redundantly Regulate Carbohydrate Export in Maize

June 18, 2010

Carbohydrate partitioning plays an important role in the growth and development of the whole plant, however, the control of this process is not widely studied. This led Thomas L. Slewinski and David M. Braun of Pennsylvania State University to identify the genes regulating the carbohydrate partitioning by isolating mutants that exhibit imperfect translocation of carbon from leaves.

The mutant they used in this investigation is the psychedelic(psc) maize, which exhibits irregular carbohydrate partitioning. Psc mutants are characterized by discoloration on the leaves, wherein some of the portions are colored green, while the other parts are yellowish. The differently-colored parts are bounded by large veins, which may suggest that the translocation of a mobile compound through the veins may affect the characteristics of the tissues. Genetic analyses with similar carbohydrate accumulating maize mutants imply that the wild-type Psc genes act independently of previously identified genetic pathways. Hence, the study revealed two previously unidentified genes that redundantly function for carbohydrate export in maize.

Read the abstract at http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/full/185/1/221?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=maize&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=185&issue=
1&resourcetype=HWCIT
.