Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A single mutation that increases maize seed weight

M J Giroux1, J Shaw, G Barry

  • 1Horticultural Sciences and Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611-0690, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|June 11, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Associations between community-based physiotherapy for musculoskeletal injury and health related quality of life (EQ-5D): a multi-centre retrospective analysis.

Health and quality of life outcomes·2017
Same author

Using realist review to inform intervention development: methodological illustration and conceptual platform for collaborative care in offender mental health.

Implementation science : IS·2015
Same author

Cognitive-behavioural suicide prevention for male prisoners: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Psychological medicine·2015
Same author

Clinical profile of diabetic ketoacidosis in tertiary hospitals in China: a multicentre, clinic-based study.

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2015
Same author

Direct observation of the two-plasmon-decay common plasma wave using ultraviolet Thomson scattering.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2015
Same author

Instrumenting gait with an accelerometer: a system and algorithm examination.

Medical engineering & physics·2015
Same journal

Chemotactic self-organization captures the dynamics of mammalian hair follicle patterning.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Tomographic imaging of superconducting order using particle-hole interference.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Inhibitory potential of autologous neutralizing antibodies sets quantitative limits on the rebound-competent HIV-1 reservoir.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Inferring epidemiological parameters under an infectious phylogeography model with visitor dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Analytical modeling for suction cup designs for skin-interfaced wearable devices.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Improving cell-free metabolism through direct integration of artificial respiratory chains.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Mutations in the maize Shrunken2 (Sh2) gene can increase seed weight. Introducing specific amino acids, tyrosine and serine, into the adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme enhances seed yield without altering starch content.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The maize endosperm-specific gene Shrunken2 (Sh2) encodes the large subunit of adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase (AGP), a key enzyme in starch synthesis.
  • AGP activity is allosterically regulated, and its function is crucial for seed development and yield.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of site-specific mutations in the allosteric regulation region of the maize Sh2 gene.
  • To determine if targeted mutations can enhance AGP enzyme activity and consequently improve seed weight.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an in vivo, site-specific mutagenesis system employing the transposable element dissociation (Ds) to create insertion mutations in the Sh2 gene.
  • Sequenced germinal revertants to identify insertion types and their effects on the SH2 protein and AGP activity.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessed seed weight, starch percentage, and enzyme sensitivity to phosphate inhibition in mutant lines.

    • Main Results:

    • Insertion mutations of 3 or 6 bp were identified in revertants, maintaining the original reading frame.
    • All insertion revertants reduced total AGP activity and SH2 protein levels.
    • A specific revertant with added tyrosine and serine residues increased seed weight by 11-18% without changing starch percentage.
    • This high seed-weight revertant exhibited reduced sensitivity to phosphate inhibition, a known AGP inhibitor.

    Conclusions:

    • Site-specific mutations in the Sh2 gene can lead to increased seed weight in maize, suggesting potential for yield improvement.
    • The addition of tyrosine and serine residues in AGP confers phosphate insensitivity and enhances seed weight, a finding potentially applicable across species.
    • These results demonstrate the possibility of achieving significant yield increases through targeted single-gene modifications, even in highly bred crop varieties.