Effects of the RNA Interference Cassette Targeting the Puroindoline a on Grain Hardness and Puroindoline Protein in Soft Wheat

Abstract

Aims: This study is to generated wheat varieties with a range of grain hardness index, provided some parental materials for breeding wheat varieties, and determined the optimal gene combinations for high grain hardness. Study Design: This study was performed using the particle bombardment method. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Science Education, School of Education, Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China Methodology: In this study, we introduced a RNA interference vector targeting the Pina and its linear expression cassette into soft wheat Emai 12 via particle bombardment. Screening the transgenic positive plants from the progeny by PCR, then performing trait testing on their T2 seeds, including grain hardness measurement and PIN protein content detection, to observe whether the interference has effectively reduced the PIN protein expression level. Results: The experimental results demonstrated that in transgenic progeny with successful RNA interference, the grain hardness index of their seeds increased, and the expression level of PINA protein decreased. Conclusion: The finding confirms that the function of the Pina gene is indeed associated with grain hardness.