Significance of Starch Branching EnzymeGene Modification

Starch, consisting of amylopectin and amylose, is a short- or long-term storage polysaccharide in plants. Starch branching enzyme (SBE) catalyzes the conversion of internal and external α-1,6 bonds to α-1,4-linear glucan, and higher plants contain two or three isoforms, which has a strong influence on amylopectin synthesis.

The applications of starch and its properties are structure-dependent. Technologies for Modified Starch Manufacture are required to obtain starches with specific properties and functions. SBE significantly affects the final starch structure formed and its function. The researcher can modify SBE by altering the activity of the gene-modifying enzyme itself, changing its gene expression level, or transferring the length of the chain. It has been shown that compared with the wild type, the simultaneous inhibition of SBEI and SBEII expression in cassava results in a highly resistant starch with a higher content of amylose.

Fig.1 Starch synthesis process. (Li, et al., 2015)

Our Services 

CD BioGlyco modifies starch mainly by up-regulating or inhibiting the expression of the SBE gene. For this purpose, we have optimized the various steps of gene editing. We have a wide range of vectors and high gene editing efficiency.

• Suppression of SBE expression
  We inhibit the expression of a single SBE isoform or two isoforms at the same time by RNA interference (RNAi). We construct complementary gene fragments against the target gene sequences to form shRNA structures, thereby realizing the inhibitory effect on the expression of the target genes. The mutant genes are then introduced into plant healing tissues using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT). Then, we will test the expression level of the SBE in the plants after a certain period of cultivation. We also test the transgenic plants for SBE content and various assays regarding starch, such as content, grain shape, amylose content, etc.

• Up-regulation of SBE expression
  We obtain fragments of the target gene by artificial gene synthesis or directly from the plant genome. Afterward, we subclone the target gene onto plasmids with promoters, replicons, and resistance markers. After constructing the SBE overexpression vector, we use AMT to introduce the vector into plant healing tissues. We will detect SBE expression after a period of time of cultivation. We also detect the SBE content in the plants, the starch content, the distribution of amylopectin chain lengths, the observation of starch granule shape, etc.

Fig.2 The process of SBE gene modification. (CD BioGlyco, 2023)

Applications

• By up-regulating or silencing the expression of a gene the function of the gene in the species can be verified.
• By regulating the expression of genes, it is possible to influence the synthesis of starch in the plant and to improve starch.
• SBE has an important role in plant production and development. Gene editing technology enables us to study the effects of SBE mutations on metabolic physiology and plant nutrient accumulation after endosperm germination.

Advantages

• Gene editing technology is easy to use, versatile and capable of editing multiple plant genes.
• Our gene editing technology has a high targeting accuracy and can realize precise editing of genes, which greatly improves the success rate of experiments.
• Our experimental cycle is short and the results are stable. We also report the progress of our experiments on a regular basis to ensure the transparency of the experimental process.

CD BioGlyco is full of PhDs, masters, and other professional talents. We are experienced in starch modification. In addition to gene modification, we also provide Physical Modification, Chemical Modification, and Enzymatic Modification services for starch, if you have this need, contact us at any time.

• ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) Modification
• Starch Synthase Modification
• Debranching Enzyme Modification