Starch accumulation and activities of key enzymes involved in starch synthesis in the grains of maize inbred lines with different starch contents.

Amylose, amylopectin and starch dynamic accumulation and key enzymes activities in the grains of 4 maize inbred lines (two high-starch ones and two low-starch ones) were studied. The amounts of amylose, amylopectin and starch in the grains of 4 maize inbred lines increased as sigmoid curves during grain filling period. The changes in amylose, amylopectin and starch accumulation rates followed single-peaked curves, and reached their peaks in the 25-30 days after pollination (DAP). Changes in activities of adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase (ADPG-PPase, EC 2.7.7.27), soluble starch synthase (SSS, EC 2.4.1.21) and starch granule-bound synthase (GBSS, EC 2.4.1.21) in the grains of 4 inbred lines appeared single-peaked curves with the peaks appearing 20-30 DAP. Changes in activities of starch-branching enzyme (Q-enzyme, EC 2.4.1.18) in the grains of high-starch inbred lines appeared single-peaked curves with the peak values at 20 DAP, while the two low-starch inbred lines showed double-peaked curves with the peak values in the 15-20 DAP and 30-35 DAP. There was significant correlation between ADPG-PPase, SSS and GBSS activities. The results indicated that the Q-enzyme had different expression in high- and low-starch maize inbred lines, and verified that ADPG-PPase, SSS and GBSS activities were significantly and positively correlated with amylose, amylopectin and starch accumulation rates.