Diverse roles of strigolactone signaling in maize architecture and the uncoupling of a branching-specific subnetwork.

Strigolactones (SLs) control lateral branching in diverse species by regulating transcription factors orthologous to Teosinte branched1 (Tb1). In maize (Zea mays), however, selection for a strong central stalk during domestication is attributed primarily to the Tb1 locus, leaving the architectural roles of SLs unclear. To determine how this signaling network is altered in maize, we first examined effects of a knockout mutation in an essential SL biosynthetic gene that encodes CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE8 (CCD8), then tested interactions between SL signaling and Tb1. Comparative genome analysis revealed that maize depends on a single CCD8 gene (ZmCCD8), unlike other panicoid grasses that have multiple CCD8 paralogs. Function of ZmCCD8 was confirmed by transgenic complementation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) max4 (ccd8) and by phenotypic rescue of the maize mutant (zmccd8::Ds) using a synthetic SL (GR24). Analysis of the zmccd8 mutant revealed a modest increase in branching that contrasted with prominent pleiotropic changes that include (1) marked reduction in stem diameter, (2) reduced elongation of internodes (independent of carbon supply), and (3) a pronounced delay in development of the centrally important, nodal system of adventitious roots. Analysis of the tb1 zmccd8 double mutant revealed that Tb1 functions in an SL-independent subnetwork that is not required for the other diverse roles of SL in development. Our findings indicate that in maize, uncoupling of the Tb1 subnetwork from SL signaling has profoundly altered the balance between conserved roles of SLs in branching and diverse aspects of plant architecture.

The Maize Viviparous8 locus, encoding a putative ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1-like peptidase, regulates abscisic acid accumulation and coordinates embryo and endosperm development.

We describe a mutant of Zea mays isolated from a W22 inbred transposon population, widow's peak mutant1 (wpk1), with an altered pattern of anthocyanin synthesis and aleurone cell differentiation in endosperm. In addition, a failure of the developing mutant embryo to form leaf initials is associated with decreased expression of a subset of meristem regulatory genes that includes Abphyl1 and Td1. We show that the viviparous8 (vp8) mutant has a similar pleiotropic phenotype in the W22 inbred background in contrast to the viviparous embryo phenotype exhibited in the standard genetic background, and we confirmed that wpk1 is allelic to vp8. Further genetic analysis revealed that the standard vp8 stock contains an unlinked, partially dominant suppressor of the vp8 mutation that is not present in W22. Consistent with the early-onset viviparous phenotype of vp8, expression of several embryonic regulators, including LEC1/B3 domain transcription factors, was reduced in the mutant embryo. Moreover, reduced abscisic acid (ABA) content of vp8/wpk1 embryos was correlated with altered regulation of ABA biosynthesis, as well as ABA catabolic pathways. The ABA biosynthetic gene Vp14 was down-regulated in the nonsuppressed background, whereas the ZmABA8'oxA1a ABA 8'-hydroxylase gene was strongly up-regulated in both genetic backgrounds. Molecular analysis revealed that Vp8 encodes a putative peptidase closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1. Because the Vp8 regulates meristem development as well as seed maturation processes, including ABA accumulation, we propose that VP8 is required for synthesis of an unidentified signal that integrates meristem and embryo formation in seeds.

Sequence-indexed mutations in maize using the UniformMu transposon-tagging population.

BACKGROUND: Gene knockouts are a critical resource for functional genomics. In Arabidopsis, comprehensive knockout collections were generated by amplifying and sequencing genomic DNA flanking insertion mutants. These Flanking Sequence Tags (FSTs) map each mutant to a specific locus within the genome. In maize, FSTs have been generated using DNA transposons. Transposable elements can generate unstable insertions that are difficult to analyze for simple knockout phenotypes. Transposons can also generate somatic insertions that fail to segregate in subsequent generations. RESULTS: Transposon insertion sites from 106 UniformMu FSTs were tested for inheritance by locus-specific PCR. We confirmed 89% of the FSTs to be germinal transposon insertions. We found no evidence for somatic insertions within the 11% of insertion sites that were not confirmed. Instead, this subset of insertion sites had errors in locus-specific primer design due to incomplete or low-quality genomic sequences. The locus-specific PCR assays identified a knockout of a 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase gene that co-segregates with a seed mutant phenotype. The mutant phenotype linked to this knockout generates novel hypotheses about the role for the plastid-localized oxidative pentose phosphate pathway during grain-fill. CONCLUSION: We show that FSTs from the UniformMu population identify stable, germinal insertion sites in maize. Moreover, we show that these sequence-indexed mutations can be readily used for reverse genetic analysis. We conclude from these data that the current collection of 1,882 non-redundant insertion sites from UniformMu provide a genome-wide resource for reverse genetics.

The maize viviparous15 locus encodes the molybdopterin synthase small subunit.

A new Zea mays viviparous seed mutant, viviparous15 (vp15), was isolated from the UniformMu transposon-tagging population. In addition to precocious germination, vp15 has an early seedling lethal phenotype. Biochemical analysis showed reduced activities of several enzymes that require molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) in vp15 mutant seedlings. Because MoCo is required for abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, the viviparous phenotype is probably caused by ABA deficiency. We cloned the vp15 mutant using a novel high-throughput strategy for analysis of high-copy Mu lines: We used MuTAIL PCR to extract genomic sequences flanking the Mu transposons in the vp15 line. The Mu insertions specific to the vp15 line were identified by in silico subtraction using a database of MuTAIL sequences from 90 UniformMu lines. Annotation of the vp15-specific sequences revealed a Mu insertion in a gene homologous to human MOCS2A, the small subunit of molybdopterin (MPT) synthase. Molecular analysis of two allelic mutations confirmed that Vp15 encodes a plant MPT synthase small subunit (ZmCNX7). Our results, and a related paper reporting the cloning of maize viviparous10, demonstrate robust cloning strategies based on MuTAIL-PCR. The Vp15/CNX7, together with other CNX genes, is expressed in both embryo and endosperm during seed maturation. Expression of Vp15 appears to be regulated independently of MoCo biosynthesis. Comparisons of Vp15 loci in genomes of three cereals and Arabidopsis thaliana identified a conserved sequence element in the 5' untranslated region as well as a micro-synteny among the cereals.

Steady-state transposon mutagenesis in inbred maize.

We implement a novel strategy for harnessing the power of high-copy transposons for functional analysis of the maize genome, and report behavioral features of the Mutator system in a uniform inbred background. The unique UniformMu population and database facilitate high-throughput molecular analysis of Mu-tagged mutants and gene knockouts. Key features of the population include: (i) high mutation frequencies (7% independent seed mutations) and moderation of copy number (approximately 57 total Mu elements; 1-2 MuDR copies per plant) were maintained by continuous back-crossing into a phenotypically uniform inbred background; (ii) a bz1-mum9 marker enabled selection of stable lines (loss of MuDR), inhibiting further transpositions in lines selected for molecular analysis; (iii) build-up of mutation load was prevented by screening Mu-active parents to exclude plants carrying pre-existing seed mutations. To create a database of genomic sequences flanking Mu insertions, selected mutant lines were analyzed by sequencing of MuTAIL PCR clone libraries. These sequences were annotated and clustered to facilitate bioinformatic subtraction of ancestral elements and identification of insertions unique to mutant lines. New insertions targeted low-copy, gene-rich sequences, and in silico mapping revealed a random distribution of insertions over the genome. Our results indicate that Mu populations differ markedly in the occurrence of Mu insertion hotspots and the frequency of suppressible mutations. We suggest that controlled MuDR copy number in UniformMu lines is a key determinant of these differences. The public database (http://uniformmu.org; http://endosperm.info) includes pedigree and phenotypic data for over 2000 independent seed mutants selected from a population of 31 548 F2 lines and integrated with analyses of 34 255 MuTAIL sequences.

Molecular analysis of high-copy insertion sites in maize.

High-copy transposon mutagenesis is an effective tool for creating gene disruptions in maize. In order to molecularly define transposon-induced disruptions on a genome-wide scale, we optimized TAIL-PCR to amplify genomic DNA flanking maize Robertson's Mutator insertions. Sample sequencing from 43 Mutator stocks and the W22 inbred line identified 676 non-redundant insertions, and only a small fraction of the flanking sequences showed significant similarity to maize repetitive sequences. We further designed and tested 79 arbitrary primers to identify 12 primers that amplify all Mutator insertions within a DNA sample at 3.1-fold redundancy. Importantly, the products are of sufficient size to use as substrates or probes for hybridization-based identification of gene disruptions. Our adaptation simplifies previously published TAIL-PCR protocols and should be transferable to other high-copy insertional mutagens.