title: The Metabolic Signature of Biomass Formation in Barley.
abstract: The network analysis of genome-wide transcriptome responses, metabolic signatures and enzymes' relationship to biomass formation has been studied in a diverse panel of 12 barley accessions during vegetative and reproductive stages. The primary metabolites and enzymes involved in central metabolism that determine the accumulation of shoot biomass at the vegetative stage of barley development are primarily being linked to sucrose accumulation and sucrose synthase activity. Interestingly, the metabolic and enzyme links which are strongly associated with biomass accumulation during reproductive stages are related to starch accumulation and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates citrate, malate, trans-aconitate and isocitrate. Additional significant associations were also found for UDP glucose, ATP and the amino acids isoleucine, valine, glutamate and histidine during the reproductive stage. A network analysis resulted in a combined identification of metabolite and enzyme signatures indicative for grain weight accumulation that was correlated with the activity of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), a rate-limiting enzyme involved in starch biosynthesis, and with that of alanine amino transferase involved in the synthesis of storage proteins. We propose that the mechanism related to vegetative and reproductive biomass formation vs. seed biomass formation is being linked to distinct fluxes regulating sucrose, starch, sugars and amino acids as central resources. These distinct biomarkers can be used to engineer biomass production and grain weight in barley.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREO), Tehran, Iran Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Corrensstraße 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Mohammad R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ghaffari
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Corrensstraße 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Fahimeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shahinnia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, RWTH Aachen University, BioSC Germany and IBG-2 Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52428 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Usadel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacy/Biosynthesis of Active Substances, Hoher Weg 8, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Junker
authors.affiliation: Monash University, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Falk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.affiliation: International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sreenivasulu
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Corrensstraße 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany mohammad@ipk-gatersleben.de.
authors.forename: Mohammad R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hajirezaei
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000235:genetics; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D001467:Hordeum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: Biomass; Central metabolism; Hordeum vulgare L; Metabolomics; Systems biology; Transcriptomics