Transcriptome enhanced rice grain metabolic model identifies histidine level as a marker for grain chalkiness

Rising temperatures due to global warming can negatively impact rice grain quality and yield. This study investigates the effects of increased warmer night temperatures (WNT), a consequence of global warming, on the quality of rice kernel, particularly grain chalkiness. By integrating computational and experimental approaches, we used a rice grain metabolic network to discover the metabolic factors of chalkiness. For this, we reconstructed the rice grain genome-scale metabolic model (GSM), iOSA3474-G and incorporated transcriptomics data from three different times of the day (dawn, dawn 7 h, and dusk) for both control and WNT conditions with iOSA3474-G. Three distinct growth phases: anoxia, normoxia, and hyperoxia, were identified in rice kernels from the GSMs, highlighting the grain-filling pattern under varying oxygen levels. We predicted excess flux through histidine contributing to the biomass as a marker of normoxia, during which kernel chalkiness occurs. Moreover, similarly, we proposed tyrosine as a marker for the hyperoxic growth phase. We also proposed a potential link between monodehydroascorbate reductase, an enzyme with evolutionary significance dating back to the carboniferous era, in regulating the hyperoxic growth phase. Metabolic bottleneck analysis identified nucleoside diphosphate kinase as a central regulator of metabolic flux under different conditions. These findings provide targeted insights into the complex metabolic network governing rice grain chalkiness under WNT conditions. Integration of GSM and transcriptomics data, enhanced our understanding of the intricate relationship between environmental factors, metabolic processes, and grain quality and also offer markers that can be useful to develop rice with improved resilience.