title: Galactinol synthase enzyme activity influences raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) accumulation in developing chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds.
abstract: To understand raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) metabolism in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds, RFO accumulation and corresponding biosynthetic enzymes activities were determined during seed development of chickpea genotypes with contrasting RFO concentrations. RFO concentration in mature seeds was found as a facilitator rather than a regulating step of seed germination. In mature seeds, raffinose concentrations ranged from 0.38 to 0.68 and 0.75 to 0.99 g/100 g, whereas stachyose concentrations varied from 0.79 to 1.26 and 1.70 to 1.87 g/100 g indicating significant differences between low and high RFO genotypes, respectively. Chickpea genotypes with high RFO concentration accumulated higher concentrations of myo-inositol and sucrose during early seed developmental stages suggesting that initial substrate concentrations may influence RFO concentration in mature seeds. High RFO genotypes showed about two to three-fold higher activity for all RFO biosynthetic enzymes compared to those with low RFO concentrations. RFO biosynthetic enzymes activities correspond with accumulation of individual RFO during seed development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, 51 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada.
authors.forename: Manu P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Gangola
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, 51 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, 51 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada.
authors.forename: Udhaya
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics, Patancheru near Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Pooran M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Gaur
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, 51 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Båga
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, 51 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada. Electronic address: ravi.chibbar@usask.ca.
authors.forename: Ravindra N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Chibbar
mesh_terms: D029863:Cicer / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D005700:Galactosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005838:Genotype; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D011887:Raffinose / Q000378:metabolism*; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; C005695:stachyose; D013395:Sucrose; D005700:Galactosyltransferases; C096645:inositol 1-alpha-galactosyltransferase; D011887:Raffinose
keywords: Chickpea; Cicer arietinum L.; Fabaceae; Galactinol synthase; Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO); Seed germination; Seed weight/size