Details for The rice genome encodes two vacuolar invertases with fructan exohydrolase activity but lacks the related fructan biosynthesis genes of the Pooideae

Ji XM, Van den Ende W, Schroeven L, Clerens S, Geuten K, Cheng SH and Bennett J (2007). The rice genome encodes two vacuolar invertases with fructan exohydrolase activity but lacks the related fructan biosynthesis genes of the Pooideae. New Phytologist 173:50–62 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01896.x).

Fructans are believed to contribute to cold and drought tolerance in several plant families (Poaceae, Asparagaceae and Asteraceae), but it is not clear why the ability to accumulate these polymers is found in some genera (e.g. Triticum) but not in others (e.g. Oryza). As fructan biosynthesis enzymes (FBEs) evolved from vacuolar invertases (VINs), we searched the rice genome sequence for genes related to both FBE and VIN genes of wheat and other members of the Pooideae. We compared them at the levels of exon–intron structure, protein sequence, and the enzymatic properties of recombinant proteins after expression in the yeast
Pichia pastoris.