{"title":"Natural variations in the promoter of ZmDeSI2 encoding a deSUMOylating isopeptidase controls kernel methionine content in maize.","authors":"Xin Lu, Yuhong Lei, Zhennan Xu, Zixiang Cheng, Meng Liu, Yuxin Tai, Xiaohua Han, Zhuanfang Hao, Mingshun Li, Degui Zhang, Hongjun Yong, Jienan Han, Zhenhua Wang, Wen-Xue Li, Jianfeng Weng, Zhiqiang Zhou, Xinhai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.molp.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Improving the methionine (Met) content in maize kernels is of key importance to the animal feed industry; however, the genetic and molecular mechanisms governing maize kernel Met content remain largely unexplored. In this study, we leveraged a panel consisting of 348 diverse inbred maize lines to explore the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control kernel Met levels. A genome-wide association study followed by transcriptomic analysis identified the deSUMOylating isopeptidase gene ZmDeSI2. Further biochemical experiments revealed that ZmDeSI2 directly reduces the SUMOylation and accumulation of the sulfite reductase ZmSIR, thereby repressing Met accumulation. Natural variants in the ZmDeSI2 promoter region were found to serve as key determinants of the expression of this gene, predominantly due to the absence or presence of a ZmWRKY105 transcription factor binding site. The elite ZmDeSI2<sup>Hap2</sup> haplotype without this binding site in the ZmDeSI2 promoter was associated with a 1.36-fold increase in Met levels in the kernels of modified near-isogenic lines generated through marker-assisted breeding. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the molecular processes that control Met biosynthesis, highlighting an elite natural variant suitable for application in maize breeding for Met biofortification.</p>","PeriodicalId":19012,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Plant","volume":"18 5","pages":"872-891"},"PeriodicalIF":17.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Molecular Plant","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2025.04.008","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/4/22 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Improving the methionine (Met) content in maize kernels is of key importance to the animal feed industry; however, the genetic and molecular mechanisms governing maize kernel Met content remain largely unexplored. In this study, we leveraged a panel consisting of 348 diverse inbred maize lines to explore the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control kernel Met levels. A genome-wide association study followed by transcriptomic analysis identified the deSUMOylating isopeptidase gene ZmDeSI2. Further biochemical experiments revealed that ZmDeSI2 directly reduces the SUMOylation and accumulation of the sulfite reductase ZmSIR, thereby repressing Met accumulation. Natural variants in the ZmDeSI2 promoter region were found to serve as key determinants of the expression of this gene, predominantly due to the absence or presence of a ZmWRKY105 transcription factor binding site. The elite ZmDeSI2Hap2 haplotype without this binding site in the ZmDeSI2 promoter was associated with a 1.36-fold increase in Met levels in the kernels of modified near-isogenic lines generated through marker-assisted breeding. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the molecular processes that control Met biosynthesis, highlighting an elite natural variant suitable for application in maize breeding for Met biofortification.
期刊介绍:
Molecular Plant is dedicated to serving the plant science community by publishing novel and exciting findings with high significance in plant biology. The journal focuses broadly on cellular biology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, development, plant-microbe interaction, genomics, bioinformatics, and molecular evolution.
Molecular Plant publishes original research articles, reviews, Correspondence, and Spotlights on the most important developments in plant biology.