Dynamic Gene Regulation of Protein Storage in Developing Oat Grains

Dynamic Gene Regulation of Protein Storage in Developing Oat Grains | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Dynamic Gene Regulation of Protein Storage in Developing Oat Grains mingxue Ji, Zhiyong Zhang, Zhuqing He, Jinghui Liu, Lijun Li, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6409365/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Plant Biology → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Oats (Avena sativa L.) are a nutritionally important cereal crop, but the molecular mechanisms regulating protein and amino acid accumulation during grain development remain poorly understood. Results Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of two oat varieties (high-protein HZ and low-protein MC) revealed dynamic changes during grain filling. Key findings include: (1) The 10–20 days after flowering (DAF) period was critical for protein accumulation, with HZ showing higher expression of genes involved in carbon skeleton generation (e.g., isocitrate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase) and amino acid biosynthesis (e.g., glutamate decarboxylase); (2) Weighted gene coexpression network analysis identified modules strongly correlated with protein content, including the blue module (r = 0.92, p < 0.01); (3) KEGG enrichment highlighted central roles for glycolysis, TCA cycle, and amino acid metabolism pathways; (4) A regulatory network for protein and amino acid accumulation was constructed, identifying 157 candidate genes and 7 metabolites. Four key genes (GLA, PFK, PGK, TIM ) and a transcription factor (AP2/ERF-ERF) were identified as critical regulators; (5) qRT-PCR validated 10 candidate genes, with expression patterns consistent with RNA-Seq data (R² = 0.72–0.85). Conclusions This study elucidates the metabolic and transcriptional networks underlying protein accumulation in oat grains, providing targets for molecular breeding to enhance nutritional quality. oat seed protein seed development transcriptome sequencing broadly targeted metabolome Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryFigure1.png SupplementaryFigure2.png SupplementaryFigure3.png SupplementaryFigure4.png SupplementaryFigure5.png SupplementaryFigure6.png SupplementaryFigure7.png SupplementaryFigure8.png SupplementaryFigure9.png SupplementaryFigure10.png SupplementaryFigure11.png SupplementaryTable1.xlsx SupplementaryTable2.xlsx SupplementaryTable3.xls Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Plant Biology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 14 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 11 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 29 Apr, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 29 Apr, 2025 Editor invited by journal 29 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 29 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 29 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6409365","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":450733861,"identity":"43734d1f-60f3-4a28-8399-7849d66667dc","order_by":0,"name":"mingxue Ji","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Inner Mongolia Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"mingxue","middleName":"","lastName":"Ji","suffix":""},{"id":450733862,"identity":"00b947c0-cd2d-4565-80f9-a2eb30fd10bb","order_by":1,"name":"Zhiyong Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural \u0026 Animal 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