The changing fate of a secretory glycoprotein in developing maize endosperm

Author(s)
Elsa Arcalis, Johannes Stadlmann, Sylvain Marcel, Georgia Drakakaki, Verena Winter, Julian Rodriguez, Rainer Fischer, Friedrich Altmann, Eva Stoger
Abstract

Zeins are the major storage proteins in maize (Zea mays) endosperm, and their accumulation in zein bodies derived from the endoplasmic reticulum is well characterized. In contrast, relatively little is known about post-Golgi compartments or the trafficking of vacuolar proteins in maize endosperm, specifically the presence of globulins in structures resembling protein storage vacuoles that appear in early to mid-stage seed development. We investigated this pathway by expressing and analyzing a recombinant reporter glycoprotein during endosperm maturation, using a combination of microscopy and sensitive glycopeptide analysis. Specific N-glycan acceptor sites on the protein were followed through the stages of grain development, revealing a shift from predominantly paucimannosidic vacuolar glycoforms to predominantly trimmed glycan structures lacking fucose. This was accompanied by a change in the main subcellular localization of the protein from large protein storage vacuole-like post-Golgi organelles to the endoplasmic reticulum and zein bodies. The endogenous storage proteins corn alpha-globulin and corn legumin-1 showed a similar spatiotemporal profile both in transgenic plants expressing the reporter glycoprotein and in wild-type plants. This indicates that the shift of the intracellular trafficking route, as observed with our reporter glycoprotein, may be a common strategy in maize seed development.

Organisation(s)
External organisation(s)
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, University of California, Davis, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
Journal
Plant Physiology
Volume
153
Pages
693-702
No. of pages
10
ISSN
0032-0889
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.109.152363
Publication date
06-2010
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
106013 Genetics, 106052 Cell biology
Keywords
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/e819a5d0-afb7-4fa5-8998-4b3487d30eb9