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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Geneva, New York » Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU) » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #214777
Title: A phenylalanine in DGAT is a key determinant of oil content and composition in maize

Author
item ZHENG, PEIZHONG - PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATI
item ALLEN, WILLIAM - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item ROESLER, KEITH - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item WILLIAMS, MARK - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item ZHANG, SHIRONG - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item LI, JIMING - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item GLASSMAN, KIMBERLY - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item RANCH, JERRY - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item NUBEL, DOUGLAS - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item SOLAWETZ, WILLIAM - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item BHATTRAMAKKI, DINAKAR - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item LLACA, VICTOR - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item DESCHAMPS, STEPHANE - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item Zhong, Gan-Yuan
item TARCZYNSKI, MITCHELL - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL
item SHEN, BO - PIONEER HI-BRED INTL

Submitted to: Nature Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/4/2007
Publication Date: 2/17/2008
Citation: Zheng, P., Allen, W., Roesler, K., Williams, M., Zhang, S., Li, J., Glassman, K., Ranch, J., Nubel, D., Solawetz, W., Bhattramakki, D., Llaca, V., Deschamps, S., Zhong, G., Tarczynski, M., Shen, B. 2008. A phenylalanine in DGAT is a key determinant of oil content and composition in maize. Nature Genetics. 40:367-372.

Interpretive Summary: Plant oil is an important renewable energy source for human consumption and industrial use, especially for biodiesel production. Maize kernel oil content is controlled by multiple quantitative loci (QTLs). Here we report the fine-mapping and positional cloning of an acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DAGT1-2) gene responsible for a major oil/oleic QTL located on maize chromosome six. In addition, we demonstrate that a phenylalanine (F469) in DAGT1-2 plays a crucial role in controlling oil and oleic contents.

Technical Abstract: Plant oil is an important renewable energy source for human consumption and industrial use, especially for biodiesel production. Maize kernel oil content is controlled by multiple quantitative loci (QTLs). The molecular basis of oil QTL, however, remains unknown. Here we report that the qHO6 gene, a major QTL affecting kernel oil and oleic content, encodes an acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DAGT1-2) and demonstrate that a phenylalanine (F469) in expression of high oil DAGT1-2 increased kernel oil content by as much as 41%.