Three Major Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Waxy Gene Correlated with the Amounts of Extra-long Chains of Amylopectin in Rice Cultivars with S or L-type Amylopectin

Extra-long chains (ELC) of amylopectin in rice endosperm are synthesized by granule-bound starch synthase I encoded by the Waxy (Wx) gene, which primarily synthesizes amylose. Previous studies showed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in intron 1 and exon 6 of the Wx gene influences ELC amount. However, whether these SNPs are conserved among rice cultivars and if any other SNPs are present in the Wx gene remained unknown. Here, we sequenced the Wx gene from 17 rice cultivars with S or L-type amylopectin, including those with known ELC content and those originating in China with unique starch properties, as well as typical japonica and indica cultivars. In addition to the two SNPs described above, an additional SNP correlating with ELC content was found in exon 10. Low ELC cultivars (<3.0 %) had thymine at the splicing donor site of intron 1, Tyr224 in exon 6, and Pro415 in exon 10. Cultivars with moderate ELC content (4.1–6.9 %) had guanine at the splicing donor site of intron 1, Ser224 in exon 6, and Pro415 in exon 10. Cultivars with high ELC content (7.7–13.9 %) had guanine at the splicing donor site of intron 1, Tyr224 in exon 6, and Ser415 in exon 10. The chain length distribution pattern of amylopectin was correlated with the amounts of SSIIa found in starch granules and gelatinization temperature, but not with ELC content. The combinations of SNPs in the Wx gene found in this study may provide useful information for screening specific cultivars with different ELC content.