ArticleBMC plant biology2026
Identification of transcription factors regulating starch biosynthesis in maize through integrated GWAS and transcriptomic analysis.
Article in BMC plant biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Effects of Different Maturity Groups on Photosynthetic Performance, Grain-Filling Dynamics, and Yield of Maize Under Film Mulching in a Cool Region.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundKernel starch content (SC) is a major contributor to maize grain yield and end-use quality, but its genetic improvement is limited by incomplete understanding of genes linking natural variation to starch accumulation during endosperm development. Here, we aimed to identify starch-associated transcription factors (TFs) with breeding potential by integrating multi-environment phenotyping, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptome profiling of SC-contrasting subpopulations, haplotype analysis, and functional characterisation of key candidate regulators.
resultsKernel SC showed broad variation across four environments, ranging from 56.33% to 75.35%, with significant correlations among environments (r = 0.27–0.56, P < 0.01). Lines from the BSSS subpopulation exhibited consistently higher SC than those from the PA subpopulation, with increasing of 0.82%–2.79%. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of developing endosperm identified significant expression differences in starch biosynthesis genes, including 18 genes downregulated (0.41–0.90-fold) and four genes upregulated (1.23–1.74-fold) in BSSS. Several transcription factors (TFs) identified by GWAS showed coordinated expression with starch biosynthesis genes; seven of these were differentially expressed between BSSS and PA subpopulations and significantly correlated with multiple starch biosynthesis genes. Haplotype analysis showed that favourable Hap1 haplotypes of ZmMYB71, ZmMYB4, and ZmGNAT16 were enriched in BSSS and were associated with a 1.51%–3.30% increase in kernel SC. Functional assays revealed that ZmMYB71 acts as a negative regulator: its overexpression suppressed key starch biosynthesis genes, Sh1, Sh2, and GBSSI, reduced AGPase, GBSS, and SSS activities by 3.26%–21.39%, and decreased kernel SC by 1.70%–4.91%. Conversely, ZmMYB71 loss-of-function mutants showed upregulation of starch biosynthesis genes, increased enzyme activities (5.79%–17.20%), and increased kernel SC (2.67%–5.92%).
conclusionsThis study identifies major transcriptional regulators underlying natural variation in maize kernel SC by integrating multi-environment phenotyping, GWAS, transcriptome profiling, and haplotype analysis. ZmMYB71, ZmMYB4, and ZmGNAT16 were prioritized as key candidate TFs associated with SC variation, and functional validation confirmed ZmMYB71 as a regulator of starch accumulation. Favourable haplotypes of these TFs were associated with increased kernel SC, providing practical targets for marker-assisted selection and genetic improvement of starch content in maize.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.