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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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Overexpressing an universal stress protein gene IbUSP17 increases starch content without yield penalty in sweetpotato

Zhicheng Jiang, Qinghao Zhang, Tianyu Chen, Runyu Zhang, Huan Zhang, Shaopei Gao, Hong Zhai, Shaozhen He, Ning Zhao, Qingchang Liu#

Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education/College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

 Highlights 

● The role of USPs in regulating starch biosynthesis is for the first time reported.

● IbUSP17 increases starch content and amylopectin proportion without yield penalty in sweetpotato.

● IbUSP17 increases starch content by enhancing the expression of genes and the activities of enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis.

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摘要  

胁迫蛋白(USPs)不仅在植物非生物胁迫抗性中发挥重要作用,还参与植物生长发育调控。然而,USPs植物淀粉生物合成的调控作用尚未见报道。本研究从高淀粉含量甘薯株系H283中克隆得到IbUSP17基因,其编码蛋白定位于细胞核。IbUSP17在高淀粉含量株系及贮藏根快速膨大与淀粉积累时期显著高表达。过表达IbUSP17基因显著提高甘薯块根淀粉含量尤其是支链淀粉比例,且未降低块根产量上调淀粉生物合成相关基因表达,增强支链淀粉合成关键酶活性,并提高淀粉生物合成相关代谢物含量沉默该基因则产生相反的效应。这些结果建议,过表达IbUSP17基因通过上调淀粉生物合成相关基因表达及关键酶活性,尤其是支链淀粉合成途径,增加淀粉含量。本研究首次揭示了USP基因在淀粉生物合成中的作用IbUSP17基因可望用于提高甘薯淀粉产量和改善淀粉品质。



Abstract  

The universal stress proteins (USPs) play important roles not only in abiotic stress tolerance but also in plant growth and development.  However, the role of USPs in regulating starch biosynthesis has not been reported.  In this research, the IbUSP17 gene was isolated from a sweetpotato line H283 with high starch content.  The IbUSP17 protein was localized in the nucleus. IbUSP17 were highly expressed in the lines with high starch content and during rapid thickening and starch accumulation period of storage roots.  Overexpressing IbUSP17 increased storage root starch content, especially amylopectin proportion, without storage root yield penalty in sweetpotato.  Overexpression of IbUSP17 up-regulated the genes involved in starch biosynthesis and increased the activities of enzymes related to amylopectin biosynthesis.  The contents of components related to starch biosynthesis were also increased in the IbUSP17-overexpressing plants.  Silencing this gene produced opposite effects.  These results suggest that overexpression of IbUSP17 increases starch content through up-regulating the genes involved in starch biosynthesis and increasing the activities of enzymes related to starch biosynthesis, especially amylopectin biosynthesis.  It is the first time to reveal the role of the USP gene in starch biosynthesis.  This gene is expected to be used to increase starch yield and improve starch quality in sweetpotato.

Keywords:  sweetpotato       IbUSP17       starch       amylose       amylopectin  
Received: 07 November 2024   Online: 03 April 2025  
Fund: 

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD1200701/2023YFD1200700), the earmarked fund for CARS-10-Sweetpotato and the 2115 Talent Development Program of China Agricultural University.

About author:  #Correspondence Qingchang Liu, Tel: +86-10-62733710, E-mail: liuqc@cau.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Zhicheng Jiang, Qinghao Zhang, Tianyu Chen, Runyu Zhang, Huan Zhang, Shaopei Gao, Hong Zhai, Shaozhen He, Ning Zhao, Qingchang Liu. 2025. Overexpressing an universal stress protein gene IbUSP17 increases starch content without yield penalty in sweetpotato. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.04.004

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