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Gyaurgiev A.Kh., Arkhestova D.Kh., Gazheva R.A., Sarbasheva A.I., Khaudov A.D. Evaluation of promising maize (Zea mays L.) lines for carotenoid content and expression of key carotenogenesis genes for breeding forage hybrids. Sel'skokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya [Agricultural Biology], 2025, Vol. 60, № 6, p. 1142-1153.
(how to cite this article)

doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2025.6.1142eng

UDC: 633.15:577.2

Acknowledgements:
Supported financially by the Russian Science Foundation, grant No. 23-16-00167

 

EVALUATION OF PROMISING MAIZE (Zea mays L.) LINES FOR CAROTENOID CONTENT AND EXPRESSION OF KEY CAROTENOGENESIS GENES FOR BREEDING FORAGE HYBRIDS

A.Kh. Gyaurgiev, D.Kh. Arkhestova ✉, R.A. Gazheva, A.I. Sarbasheva, A.D. Khaudov

Institute of Agriculture, Federal Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Center RAS, 224, ul. Kirova, Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, 360004 Russia, e-mail agyaurgiyev@inbox.ru, khavpacheva.dzhenet@mail.ru (✉ corresponding author), gazheva79@mail.ru, sarbashasi59@mail.ru, aliy-beck@yandex.ru

ORCID:
Gyaurgiev A.Kh. orcid.org/0000-0001-8619-4130
Sarbasheva A.I. orcid.org/0000-0003-4708-1293
Arkhestova D.Kh. orcid.org/0000-0003-1239-3641
Khaudov A.D. orcid.org/0000-0002-5187-3229
Gazheva R.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-6822-687X

Final revision received June 02, 2025
Accepted September 19, 2025

Maize (Zea mays L.) is widely used in feed production. Carotenoids are among the most important secondary metabolites, determining the nutritional value of feed and the physiological state of plants. They are closely associated with chlorophyll and participate in numerous cellular processes. Carotenoids can absorb light in regions of the visible spectrum where chlorophyll is less efficient. They transfer a portion of the light energy to chlorophylls and protect plants from irreversible photodamage. Carotenoids also serve as lipophilic antioxidants, protecting cell membranes from oxidative stress by quenching singlet oxygen. Plants with elevated carotenoid content exhibit greater stress tolerance and are characterized by increased vegetative biomass. Feeding cattle with carotenoid-rich feed improves the immune system, reduces disease incidence, and positively impacts productivity. This study, for the first time, identified maize breeding lines with high leaf carotenoid content from the collection of the Institute of Agriculture — a branch of the Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IA KBSC RAS), and demonstrated the relationship between carotenoid accumulation and the expression of key carotenogenesis genes. The aim of this work was to determine the carotenoid content and the expression of key carotenogenesis genes in maize breeding lines from the IA KBSC RAS collection to identify samples for use in breeding new varieties and hybrids of forage maize. A set of 150 maize breeding lines from the ISX KBSC RAS collection was analyzed. Plants were grown on the experimental plots of IA KBSC RAS (s. Opytnoe, Tersky District, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic) in 2023. The plot area was 2.0 hectares, with soybean as the preceding crop. The soil of the experimental plot was ordinary chernozem. Carotenoid content in leaf tissue was determined using Folch reagent and a UV-1100 spectrophotometer ("Ecoview", Russia). Gene expression analysis was performed on the same tissues homogenized in liquid nitrogen and used for carotenoid measurement. Total RNA was isolated from 50 mg of leaf tissue (RNeasy Plant Mini Kit, QIAGEN GmbH, Germany) and purified from DNA contamination (RNase-free DNase set, QIAGEN GmbH, Germany). The obtained mRNA was used for cDNA synthesis with an oligo-dT primer (GoScript Reverse Transcription System, Promega Corporation, USA). Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR, a CFX96 Real-Time PCR Detection System, Bio-Rad Laboratories, USA). The results of the biochemical analysis revealed significant variability in carotenoid content among the samples, allowing the lines to be divided into groups with high, medium, and low pigment content. For the expression analysis of key carotenogenesis genes (phytoene synthases PSY and lycopene cyclases Lcy), four lines with contrasting leaf carotenoid content were selected. The transcript level analysis showed that lines 944 and 726, with high carotenoid content, were characterized by increased expression of the carotenoid biosynthesis genes PSY1, PSY2, LcyB, and LcyE compared to the low-carotenoid lines 804 and 849. This suggests that increased expression of carotenoid biosynthesis genes contributes to the enhanced accumulation of these pigments in maize leaves. The differences in carotenoid content and the expression of the corresponding genes among the studied maize lines are likely due to genetic factors. This genetic variability is an important asset for breeding programs aimed at enhancing the nutritional value of maize. The identified lines with high carotenoid content (lines 8007, 931, 944, 726, 760, 847, 728) hold significant potential for use in breeding programs to develop maize hybrids with improved carotenoid content, particularly in biofortification strategies aimed at enhancing the nutritional and dietary value of maize.

Keywords: Zea mays L., corn, carotenoids, carotenogenesis, biofortification, gene expression, PSY1, PSY2, LcyB, LcyE.  

 

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