Gibberellins in developing wheat grains and their relationship to late maturity α-amylase (LMA)

α-Amylase synthesis by wheat aleurone during grain development (late maturity α-amylase) appears to be independent of gibberellin unlike α-amylase synthesis by aleurone during germination or following treatment with exogenous GA. Late-maturity α-amylase (LMA) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) involves the synthesis of α-amylase by the aleurone tissue during grain development. Previous research identified a putative ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase gene, coding for an enzyme that controls the first step in gibberellin biosynthesis, that underlies the major genetic locus involved in variation in LMA phenotype. The reported results for gene transcript analysis, preliminary gibberellin analysis and the effects of DELLA mutants on LMA phenotype appeared to be consistent with involvement of gibberellin but did not provide definitive proof of a causal link. Conversely, several observations do not appear to be consistent with this hypothesis. In this current study, LMA phenotype, gibberellin profiles and ABA content were recorded for experiments involving susceptible and resistant genotypes, gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitors, genetic lines containing different LMA quantitative trait loci and treatment of distal halves of developing grains with exogenous gibberellin. The results suggested that gibberellin may not be a prerequisite for LMA expression and further that the mechanism involved in triggering α-amylase synthesis did not correspond to the model proposed for germination and gibberellin challenged aleurone of ripe grain. The results provide new insight into LMA and highlight the need to investigate alternate pathways for the induction of α-amylase gene transcription, the function of novel 1-β-OH gibberellins and other functions of DELLA proteins in developing grains.