9.9
CiteScore
7.1
Impact Factor
Turn off MathJax
Article Contents

Natural variation in Miniature5 determines mitochondrial nad1 splicing and seed development in maize

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.03.021
Funds:

We thank Dr. Xiaoduo Lu (Qilu Normal University) for providing the maize EMS mutant line and Ms. Lina Xu for technical support with cytological analysis. This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFF1000304) and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan for Excellent Young Scholars (232300421035) awarded to QS

and the Key Scientific and Technological Project of Henan Province Department of China (232102111108) awarded to HC.

the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023M741064) to awarded JL

the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFF1000303) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U22A20466 and 32472118) awarded to GW

  • Received Date: 2025-11-05
  • Accepted Date: 2026-03-25
  • Rev Recd Date: 2026-03-17
  • Available Online: 2026-04-01
  • Seed size is a key determinant of cereal grain yield, but natural variations in defective-kernel genes have rarely been applied in maize breeding. Here, we report the positional cloning of maize Miniature5 (Mn5), which encodes a mitochondrial-targeted P-class pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein. Further analysis shows that a missense mutation of mn5, Mn5Val109, presents in maize populations and correlates with reduced seed size. The Mn5Val109 variant exhibits compromised function in the mn5-ref mutant, failing to trans-splice mitochondrial nad1 intron1, drastically reducing the abundance and activity of respiratory complex I, accompanied by disorganized mitochondrial cristae. Mn5 directly binds to domain IV of the pre-nad1.1 transcript. Notably, this binding site is located downstream of the previously presumed 3′-terminus bound by MITOCHONDRIA STABILITY/PROCESSING PPR FACTOR1 (MSP1), thus redefining the 3′-end of the nad1.1 pre-RNA. Furthermore, Mn5 physically interacts with the maturases ZmnMAT1 and ZmnMAT3, as well as the PPR proteins PPR-SMR1 and SPR2, which are broadly involved in organellar group II intron splicing. Together, our results suggest that Mn5 recruits maturases and PPR proteins to form spliceosomal complexes responsible for the trans-splicing of nad1 intron1. Importantly, natural variations in Mn5 confer differences in seed size control, offering potential for breeding high-yield maize varieties.
  • loading
  • Barkan, A., Rojas, M., Fujii, S., Yap, A., Chong, Y.S., Bond, C.S., Small, I., 2012. A combinatorial amino acid code for RNA recognition by pentatricopeptide repeat proteins. PLoS Genet. 8, e1002910.
    Barkan, A., Small, I., 2014. Pentatricopeptide repeat proteins in plants. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 65, 415-442.
    Best, C., Mizrahi, R., Edris, R., Tang, H., Zer, H., Colas des Francs-Small, C., Finkel, O.M., Zhu, H., Small, I.D., Ostersetzer-Biran, O., 2023. MSP1 encodes an essential RNA-binding pentatricopeptide repeat factor required for nad1 maturation and complex I biogenesis in Arabidopsis mitochondria. New Phytol. 238, 2375-2392.
    Bonen, L., 2008. Cis- and trans-splicing of group II introns in plant mitochondria. Mitochondrion 8, 26-34.
    Brown, G.G., Colas des Francs-Small, C., Ostersetzer-Biran, O., 2014. Group II intron splicing factors in plant mitochondria. Front. Plant Sci. 5, 35.
    Cai, M., Li, S., Sun, F., Sun, Q., Zhao, H., Ren, X., Zhao, Y., Tan, B.C., Zhang, Z., Qiu, F., 2017. Emp10 encodes a mitochondrial PPR protein that affects the cis-splicing of nad2 intron 1 and seed development in maize. Plant J. 91, 132-144.
    Cao, S.K., Liu, R., Wang, M., Sun, F., Sayyed, A., Shi, H., Wang, X., Tan, B.C., 2022. The small PPR protein SPR2 interacts with PPR-SMR1 to facilitate the splicing of introns in maize mitochondria. Plant Physiol. 190, 1763-1776.
    Chen, L., Li, Y.X., Li, C., Shi, Y., Song, Y., Zhang, D., Wang, H., Li, Y., Wang, T., 2020. The retromer protein ZmVPS29 regulates maize kernel morphology likely through an auxin-dependent process(es). Plant Biotechnol. J. 18, 1004-1014.
    Chen, W., Cui, Y., Wang, Z., Chen, R., He, C., Liu, Y., Du, X., Liu, Y., Fu, J., Wang, G., et al., 2021. Nuclear-encoded maturase protein 3 is required for the splicing of various group II introns in mitochondria during maize (Zea mays L.) seed development. Plant Cell Physiol. 62, 293-305.
    Chen, X., Feng, F., Qi, W., Xu, L., Yao, D., Wang, Q., Song, R., 2017. Dek35 encodes a PPR protein that affects cis-splicing of mitochondrial nad4 intron 1 and seed development in maize. Mol. Plant 10, 427-441.
    Chen, Z., Wang, H.C., Shen, J., Sun, F., Wang, M., Xu, C., Tan, B.C., 2019. PPR-SMR1 is required for the splicing of multiple mitochondrial introns, interacts with Zm-mCSF1, and is essential for seed development in maize. J. Exp. Bot. 70, 5245-5258.
    Cheng, S., Gutmann, B., Zhong, X., Ye, Y., Fisher, M.F., Bai, F., Castleden, I., Song, Y., Song, B., Huang, J., et al., 2016. Redefining the structural motifs that determine RNA binding and RNA editing by pentatricopeptide repeat proteins in land plants. Plant J. 85, 532-547.
    Cohen, S., Zmudjak, M., Colas des Francs-Small, C., Malik, S., Shaya, F., Keren, I., Belausov, E., Many, Y., Brown, G.G., Small, I., et al., 2014. nMAT4, a maturase factor required for nad1 pre-mRNA processing and maturation, is essential for holocomplex I biogenesis in Arabidopsis mitochondria. Plant J. 78, 253-268.
    Dai, D., Ma, Z., Song, R., 2021. Maize kernel development. Mol. Breed. 41, 2.
    de Longevialle, A.F., Meyer, E.H., Andres, C., Taylor, N.L., Lurin, C., Millar, A.H., Small, I.D., 2007. The pentatricopeptide repeat gene OTP43 is required for trans-splicing of the mitochondrial nad1 intron 1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell 19, 3256-3265.
    de Longevialle, A.F., Small, I.D., Lurin, C., 2010. Nuclearly encoded splicing factors implicated in RNA splicing in higher plant organelles. Mol. Plant 3, 691-705.
    Dombrovska, O., Qiu, Y.L., 2004. Distribution of introns in the mitochondrial gene nad1 in land plants: phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary implications. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 32, 246-263.
    Fan, K., Fu, Q., Wei, Q., Jia, S., Zhao, A., Wang, T., Cao, J., Liu, Y., Ren, Z., Liu, Y., 2022. ZmnMAT1, a nuclear-encoded type I maturase, is required for the splicing of mitochondrial nad1 intron 1 and nad4 intron 2. Front. Plant Sci. 13, 1033869.
    Fan, K., Ren, Z., Zhang, X., Liu, Y., Fu, J., Qi, C., Tatar, W., Rasmusson, A.G., Wang, G., Liu, Y., 2021. The pentatricopeptide repeat protein EMP603 is required for the splicing of mitochondrial nad1 intron 2 and seed development in maize. J. Exp. Bot. 72, 6933-6948.
    Fedorova, O., Zingler, N., 2007. Group II introns: structure, folding and splicing mechanism. Biol. Chem. 388, 665-678.
    Huang, J., Lu, G., Liu, L., Raihan, M.S., Xu, J., Jian, L., Zhao, L., Tran, T.M., Zhang, Q., Liu, J., et al., 2020. The kernel size-related quantitative trait locus qKW9 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein that affects photosynthesis and grain filling. Plant Physiol. 183, 1696-1709.
    Keren, I., Bezawork-Geleta, A., Kolton, M., Maayan, I., Belausov, E., Levy, M., Mett, A., Gidoni, D., Shaya, F., Ostersetzer-Biran, O., 2009. AtnMat2, a nuclear-encoded maturase required for splicing of group-II introns in Arabidopsis mitochondria. RNA 15, 2299-2311.
    Keren, I., Tal, L., des Francs-Small, C.C., Araujo, W.L., Shevtsov, S., Shaya, F., Fernie, A.R., Small, I., Ostersetzer-Biran, O., 2012. nMAT1, a nuclear-encoded maturase involved in the trans-splicing of nad1 intron 1, is essential for mitochondrial complex I assembly and function. Plant J. 71, 413-426.
    Lambowitz, A.M., Zimmerly, S., 2004. Mobile group II introns. Annu. Rev. Genet. 38, 1-35.
    Lei, J., Du, Y., Yu, Y., Yan, Y., Luan, X., Liu, S., Shen, Q., Chen, H., Tang, J., Wang, G., 2025. Genetic control of cereal kernel texture: towards a maize model. Crop J. 13, 1682-1692.
    Li, C., Li, Y., Song, G., Yang, D., Xia, Z., Sun, C., Zhao, Y., Hou, M., Zhang, M., Qi, Z., et al., 2023. Gene expression and expression quantitative trait loci analyses uncover natural variations underlying the improvement of important agronomic traits during modern maize breeding. Plant J. 115, 772-787.
    Li, X., Jiang, Y., 2024. Research progress of group II intron splicing factors in land plant mitochondria. Genes (Basel) 15, 176.
    Liu, J., Fernie, A.R., Yan, J., 2020. The past, present, and future of maize improvement: domestication, genomics, and functional genomic routes toward crop enhancement. Plant Commun. 1, 100010.
    Liu, J., Huang, J., Guo, H., Lan, L., Wang, H., Xu, Y., Yang, X., Li, W., Tong, H., Xiao, Y., et al., 2017. The conserved and unique genetic architecture of kernel size and weight in maize and rice. Plant Physiol. 175, 774-785.
    Liu, J.M., Xu, Z.S., Lu, P.P., Li, W.W., Chen, M., Guo, C.H., Ma, Y.Z., 2016. Genome-wide investigation and expression analyses of the pentatricopeptide repeat protein gene family in foxtail millet. BMC Genomics 17, 840.
    Long, Y., Wang, C., Liu, C., Li, H., Pu, A., Dong, Z., Wei, X., Wan, X., 2024. Molecular mechanisms controlling grain size and weight and their biotechnological breeding applications in maize and other cereal crops. J. Adv. Res. 62, 27-46.
    Lu, X., Liu, J., Ren, W., Yang, Q., Chai, Z., Chen, R., Wang, L., Zhao, J., Lang, Z., Wang, H., et al., 2018. Gene-indexed mutations in maize. Mol. Plant 11, 496-504.
    Lurin, C., Andres, C., Aubourg, S., Bellaoui, M., Bitton, F., Bruyere, C., Caboche, M., Debast, C., Gualberto, J., Hoffmann, B., et al., 2004. Genome-wide analysis of Arabidopsis pentatricopeptide repeat proteins reveals their essential role in organelle biogenesis. Plant Cell 16, 2089-2103.
    Maclean, A.E., Hertle, A.P., Ligas, J., Bock, R., Balk, J., Meyer, E.H., 2018. Absence of complex I is associated with diminished respiratory chain function in European Mistletoe. Curr. Biol. 28, 1614-1619.
    Malek, O., Brennicke, A., Knoop, V., 1997. Evolution of trans-splicing plant mitochondrial introns in pre-permian times. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 94, 553-558.
    Malik, S., Upadhyaya, K.C., Khurana, S.P., 2017. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear-encoded RNA maturases. Evol. Bioinform. 13, 1176934317710945.
    Matsuura, M., Noah, J.W., Lambowitz, A.M., 2001. Mechanism of maturase-promoted group II intron splicing. EMBO J. 20, 7259-7270.
    Meyer, E.H., Tomaz, T., Carroll, A.J., Estavillo, G., Delannoy, E., Tanz, S.K., Small, I.D., Pogson, B.J., Millar, A.H., 2009. Remodeled respiration in ndufs4 with low phosphorylation efficiency suppresses Arabidopsis germination and growth and alters control of metabolism at night. Plant Physiol. 151, 603-619.
    Mezmouk, S., Ross-Ibarra, J., 2014. The pattern and distribution of deleterious mutations in maize. G3 (Bethesda) 4, 163-171.
    Mizrahi, R., Shevtsov-Tal, S., Ostersetzer-Biran, O., 2022. Group II intron-encoded proteins (IEPs/Maturases) as key regulators of nad1 expression and complex I biogenesis in land plant mitochondria. Genes 13, 1137.
    Mohr, G., Lambowitz, A.M., 2003. Putative proteins related to group II intron reverse transcriptase/maturases are encoded by nuclear genes in higher plants. Nucleic Acids Res. 31, 647-652.
    Mower, J.P., 2020. Variation in protein gene and intron content among land plant mitogenomes. Mitochondrion 53, 203-213.
    Mukhopadhyay, J., Hausner, G., 2021. Organellar introns in fungi, algae, and plants. Cells 10, 2001.
    Neuffer, M., England, D., 1995. Induced mutations with confirmed locations. Maize Genet. Coop. News Lett. 69, 43-46.
    Neuffer, M.G., Chang, M.T., Clark, J., Sheridan, W.F., 1986. The genetic control of maize kernel development, in: Shannon, J. (Ed.) Regulation of carbon and nitrogen reduction and utilization in maize. American Society of Plant Physiology, Rockville, MD., pp. 35–50.
    Pan, Z., Ren, X., Zhao, H., Liu, L., Tan, Z., Qiu, F., 2019. A mitochondrial transcription termination factor, ZmSmk3, is required for nad1 intron4 and nad4 intron1 splicing and kernel development in maize. G3 (Bethesda) 9, 2677-2686.
    Qi, W., Yang, Y., Feng, X., Zhang, M., Song, R., 2017. Mitochondrial function and maize kernel development requires Dek2, a pentatricopeptide repeat protein involved in nad1 mRNA splicing. Genetics 205, 239-249.
    Raihan, M.S., Liu, J., Huang, J., Guo, H., Pan, Q., Yan, J., 2016. Multi-environment QTL analysis of grain morphology traits and fine mapping of a kernel-width QTL in Zheng58 × SK maize population. Theor. Appl. Genet. 129, 1465-1477.
    Ren, R.C., Yan, X.W., Zhao, Y.J., Wei, Y.M., Lu, X., Zang, J., Wu, J.W., Zheng, G.M., Ding, X.H., Zhang, X.S., et al., 2020. The novel E-subgroup pentatricopeptide repeat protein DEK55 is responsible for RNA editing at multiple sites and for the splicing of nad1 and nad4 in maize. BMC Plant Biol. 20, 553.
    Ren, X., Pan, Z., Zhao, H., Zhao, J., Cai, M., Li, J., Zhang, Z., Qiu, F., 2017. EMPTY PERICARP11 serves as a factor for splicing of mitochondrial nad1 intron and is required to ensure proper seed development in maize. J. Exp. Bot. 68, 4571-4581.
    Sabelli, P.A., Larkins, B.A., 2009. The development of endosperm in grasses. Plant Physiol. 149, 14-26.
    Schmitz-Linneweber, C., Lampe, M.K., Sultan, L.D., Ostersetzer-Biran, O., 2015. Organellar maturases: A window into the evolution of the spliceosome. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1847, 798-808.
    Senkler, J., Rugen, N., Eubel, H., Hegermann, J., Braun, H.P., 2018. Absence of complex I implicates rearrangement of the respiratory chain in European Mistletoe. Curr. Biol. 28, 1606-1613.
    Small, I., Melonek, J., Bohne, A.V., Nickelsen, J., Schmitz-Linneweber, C., 2023. Plant organellar RNA maturation. Plant Cell 35, 1727-1751.
    Sun, F., Zhang, X., Shen, Y., Wang, H., Liu, R., Wang, X., Gao, D., Yang, Y.-Z., Liu, Y., Tan, B.C., 2018. The pentatricopeptide repeat protein EMPTY PERICARP8 is required for the splicing of three mitochondrial introns and seed development in maize. Plant J. 95, 919-932.
    Sun, Q., Li, Y., Gong, D., Hu, A., Zhong, W., Zhao, H., Ning, Q., Tan, Z., Liang, K., Mu, L., et al., 2022. A NAC-EXPANSIN module enhances maize kernel size by controlling nucellus elimination. Nat. Commun. 13, 5708.
    Tian, Q., Wang, G., Ma, X., Shen, Q., Ding, M., Yang, X., Luo, X., Li, R., Wang, Z., Wang, X., et al., 2022. Riboflavin integrates cellular energetics and cell cycle to regulate maize seed development. Plant Biotechnol. J. 20, 1487-1501.
    Wang, C., Li, H., Long, Y., Dong, Z., Wang, J., Liu, C., Wei, X., Wan, X., 2023. A systemic investigation of genetic architecture and gene resources controlling kernel size-related traits in maize. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 24, 1025.
    Wang, C., Quadrado, M., Ngom, T., Mireau, H., 2025. Plant mitochondrial PORR proteins facilitate group II intron splicing by binding to distinct regions within their target introns. Nucleic Acids Res. 53, gkaf781.
    Wang, G., Wang, F., Wang, G., Wang, F., Zhang, X., Zhong, M., Zhang, J., Lin, D., Tang, Y., Xu, Z., et al., 2012. Opaque1 encodes a myosin XI motor protein that is required for endoplasmic reticulum motility and protein body formation in maize endosperm. Plant Cell 24, 3447-3462.
    Wang, G., Wang, G., Zhang, X., Wang, F., Song, R., 2012. Isolation of high quality RNA from cereal seeds containing high levels of starch. Phytochem. Anal. 23, 159-163.
    Wang, G., Wang, Y., Ni, J., Li, R., Zhu, F., Wang, R., Tian, Q., Shen, Q., Yang, Q., Tang, J., et al., 2022. An MCIA-like complex is required for mitochondrial complex I assembly and seed development in maize. Mol. Plant 15, 1470-1487.
    Wang, G., Zhong, M.Y., Shuai, B.L., Song, J.D., Zhang, J., Han, L., Ling, H.L., Tang, Y.P., Wang, G.F., Song, R.T., 2017. E plus subgroup PPR protein defective kernel 36 is required for multiple mitochondrial transcripts editing and seed development in maize and Arabidopsis. New Phytol. 214, 1563-1578.
    Wang, J., Kan, S., Liao, X., Zhou, J., Tembrock, L.R., Daniell, H., Jin, S., Wu, Z., 2024. Plant organellar genomes: much done, much more to do. Trends Plant Sci. 29, 754-769.
    Wang, Y., Shi, D., Zhu, H., Yin, H., Wang, G., Yang, A., Song, Z., Jing, Q., Shuai, B., Xu, N., et al., 2023. Revisiting maize brittle endosperm-2 reveals new insights in BETL development and starchy endosperm filling. Plant Sci. 332, 111727.
    Westoby, M., Leishman, M., Lord, J., 1996. Comparative ecology of seed size and dispersal. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biol. Sci. 351, 1309-1318.
    Wittig, I., Karas, M., Schagger, H., 2007. High resolution clear native electrophoresis for in-gel functional assays and fluorescence studies of membrane protein complexes. Mol. Cell. Proteom. 6, 1215-1225.
    Wu, C.S., Chaw, S.M., 2022. Evolution of mitochondrial RNA editing in extant gymnosperms. Plant J. 111, 1676-1687.
    Xiu, Z., Sun, F., Shen, Y., Zhang, X., Jiang, R., Bonnard, G., Zhang, J., Tan, B.-C., 2016. EMPTY PERICARP16 is required for mitochondrial nad2 intron 4 cis-splicing, complex I assembly and seed development in maize. Plant J. 85, 507-519.
    Yagi, Y., Hayashi, S., Kobayashi, K., Hirayama, T., Nakamura, T., 2013. Elucidation of the RNA recognition code for pentatricopeptide repeat proteins involved in organelle RNA editing in plants. PLoS ONE 8, e57286.
    Yan, J., Yao, Y., Hong, S., Yang, Y., Shen, C., Zhang, Q., Zhang, D., Zou, T., Yin, P., 2019. Delineation of pentatricopeptide repeat codes for target RNA prediction. Nucleic Acids Res. 47, 3728-3738.
    Yang, N., Liu, J., Gao, Q., Gui, S., Chen, L., Yang, L., Huang, J., Deng, T., Luo, J., He, L., et al., 2019. Genome assembly of a tropical maize inbred line provides insights into structural variation and crop improvement. Nat. Genet. 51, 1052-1059.
    Yang, N., Lu, Y., Yang, X., Huang, J., Zhou, Y., Ali, F., Wen, W., Liu, J., Li, J., Yan, J., 2014. Genome wide association studies using a new nonparametric model reveal the genetic architecture of 17 agronomic traits in an enlarged maize association panel. PLoS Genet. 10, e1004573.
    Yang, Y.Z., Ding, S., Liu, X.Y., Xu, C., Sun, F., Tan, B.C., 2023. The DEAD-box RNA helicase ZmRH48 is required for the splicing of multiple mitochondrial introns, mitochondrial complex biosynthesis, and seed development in maize. J. Integr. Plant Biol. 65, 2456-2468.
    Yang, Y.Z., Ding, S., Wang, Y., Wang, H.C., Liu, X.Y., Sun, F., Xu, C., Liu, B., Tan, B.C., 2020. PPR20 is required for the cis-splicing of mitochondrial nad2 intron 3 and seed development in maize. Plant Cell Physiol. 61, 370-380.
    Yoo, S.D., Cho, Y.H., Sheen, J., 2007. Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts: a versatile cell system for transient gene expression analysis. Nat. Protoc. 2, 1565-1572.
    Zhang, L., Fu, M., Li, W., Dong, Y., Zhou, Q., Wang, Q., Li, X., Gao, J., Wang, Y., Wang, H., et al., 2024. Genetic variation in ZmKW1 contributes to kernel weight and size in dent corn and popcorn. Plant Biotechnol. J. 22, 1453-1467.
    Zhang, X., Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Li, J., Liu, M., Li, L., Li, S., Wang, T., Shaw, R.K., Jiang, F., et al., 2023. Hotspot regions of quantitative trait loci and candidate genes for ear-related traits in maize: A literature review. Genes (Basel) 15, 15.
    Zhao, C., Pyle, A.M., 2017a. The group II intron maturase: a reverse transcriptase and splicing factor go hand in hand. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 47, 30-39.
    Zhao, C., Pyle, A.M., 2017b. Structural insights into the mechanism of group II intron splicing. Trends Biochem. Sci. 42, 470-482.
    Zhou, Q., Fu, Z., Li, M., Shen, Q., Sun, C., Feng, Y., Liu, Y., Jiang, J., Qin, T., Mao, T., et al., 2023. Maize tubulin folding cofactor B is required for cell division and cell growth through modulating microtubule homeostasis. New Phytol. 239, 1707-1722.
    Zhou, Z., Li, G., Tan, S., Li, D., Weiss, T.M., Wang, X., Chen, S., Wurschum, T., Liu, W., 2020. A QTL atlas for grain yield and its component traits in maize (Zea mays). Plant Breed. 139, 562-574.
    Zhu, C., Jin, G., Fang, P., Zhang, Y., Feng, X., Tang, Y., Qi, W., Song, R., 2019. Maize pentatricopeptide repeat protein DEK41 affects cis-splicing of mitochondrial nad4 intron 3 and is required for normal seed development. J. Exp. Bot. 70, 3795-3808.
    Zimmerly, S., Semper, C., 2015. Evolution of group II introns. Mob DNA 6, 7.
  • 加载中

Catalog

    通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
    • 1. 

      沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

    1. 本站搜索
    2. 百度学术搜索
    3. 万方数据库搜索
    4. CNKI搜索

    Article Metrics

    Article views (0) PDF downloads (0) Cited by ()
    Proportional views
    Related

    /

    DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
    Return
    Return