Combined effects of SSII-2RNAi and different Wx alleles on rice grain transparency and physicochemical properties

Near-isogenic lines Nip(Wxb/SSII-2), Nip(Wxb/ss2-2), Nip(Wxmw/SSII-2), Nip(Wxmw/ss2-2), Nip(Wxmp/SSII-2) and Nip(Wxmp/ss2-2) in the Nipponbare (Nip) background containing the SSII-2RNAi cassette combined with different Waxy (Wx) alleles were investigated in terms of rice grain transparency and quality profiles. Rice lines carrying the SSII-2RNAi cassette displayed downregulation of SSII-2, SSII-3 and Wx genes. Introduction of the SSII-2RNAi cassette decreased apparent amylose content (AAC) in all transgenic lines, but grain transparency differed between low AAC rice lines. Grains from Nip(Wxb/SSII-2) and Nip(Wxb/ss2-2) were transparent, while those of rice were increasingly translucent with decreasing moisture due to cavities within starch granules. Rice grain transparency was positively correlated with grain moisture and AAC, but negatively correlated with cavity area within starch granules. Starch fine structure analysis revealed a marked increase in short amylopectin chains with DP 6–12, but a decrease in intermediate chains with DP 13–24, resulting in decreased gelatinisation temperature. Starch crystalline structure analysis showed that the transgenic rice starches have lower crystallinity and lamellar repeat distance than controls due to differences in starch fine structure. The results highlight the molecular basis underpinning rice grain transparency, and provide strategies for improving rice grain transparency.