ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1605073
Integrated multi-omics analysis reveals the role of nitrogen application in seed storage protein metabolism and improvement of inferior grains in smooth bromegrass
Provisionally accepted
Chengming OuShiqiang Zhao
Zhicheng JiaShoujiang SunJuan WangChunjiao MiJinyu ShiChangran Li
Peisheng Mao*- China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This study explores the effects of nitrogen application on superior and inferior grains in smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis). The study was conducted using a randomized block design with two nitrogen treatments (0 and 200 kg·N·ha-¹) during the 2021–2022 growing seasons. Seed dry weight, fresh weight, and storage protein content were measured at multiple stages after anthesis. PacBio full-length transcriptome sequencing generated a comprehensive transcriptome consisting of 124,425 high-quality transcripts, and metabolomic profiling were performed across developmsental stages. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased both dry and fresh weights, as well as storage protein content, particularly gliadin and glutelin. Notably, nitrogen treatment upregulated glutamate and asparagine levels in both superior and inferior grains. Transcriptomic analysis revealed enhanced nitrogen transport and protein synthesis pathways. Additionally, two α-gliadin nitrogen-responsive genes, BiGli1 and BiGli2, were identified in inferior grains. Genetic transformation studies in Arabidopsis confirmed that these genes regulate seed size and vigor, improving seed performance by reducing mean germination time under aging conditions. This study highlights the critical role of α-gliadin in enhancing seed quality, particularly in promoting the development of inferior grains, offering valuable insights for the development of high-yield seed varieties and the optimization of specialized forage seed production.
Keywords: α-gliadin, Nitrogen application, Seed vigor, Superior and inferior grains, storage protein, Smooth bromegrass, multi-omics
Received: 02 Apr 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ou, Zhao, Jia, Sun, Wang, Mi, Shi, Li and Mao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Peisheng Mao, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.