Maize <i>Chlorotic Leaf Spot1</i> encodes a fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase essential for carbohydrate partitioning

Ruchang Ren; Sihang Zhao; Hong Jia; Hao Li; Lishuan Wu; Jinge Tian; Yifan Zhu; Junxiang Tang; Xiangyang Guo; Chenglong Wang; Feng Tian

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2025.10.002

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Maize Chlorotic Leaf Spot1 encodes a fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase essential for carbohydrate partitioning

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2025.10.002

a. Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding and State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, National Maize Improvement Center, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize (MOA), Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, Beijing 100193, China;
b. Sanya Institute of China Agricultural University, Sanya, Hainan 572024, China;
c. Institute of Upland Food Crops, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, Guizhou 550000, China

Funds:

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD1201503), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32025027, 32330077, 32588101 and 32401810), Pinduoduo-China Agricultural University Research Fund (PC2023A01003), New Cornerstone Science Foundation through the XPLORER PRIZE, and the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (2025TC147 and 2022TC138).

Received Date: 2025-06-24
Accepted Date: 2025-10-03
Rev Recd Date: 2025-09-30

Available Online: 2025-10-10

Abstract

Abstract

Carbohydrate partitioning from photosynthetic sources to non-photosynthetic sinks is essential for plant development and crop yield. Using a maize-teosinte BC₂S₃ population, we identify Chlorotic Leaf Spot1 (CLS1), a fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) in the tyrosine degradation pathway that plays an essential role in carbohydrate partitioning in maize. CLS1 localizes to the plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Allelic tests and sequence analysis reveal that the teosinte parent CIMMYT8759 carries a weak allele of CLS1, likely due to rare amino acid substitutions at residues 175 and 355. Loss-of-function mutants of CLS1 develop chlorotic leaf spots accompanied by carbohydrate hyperaccumulation, reduced photosynthetic efficiency, chloroplast damage, and impaired transient starch conversion. Critically, cls1 mutants exhibit ectopic callose accumulation and aberrant plasmodesmata ultrastructure at the mesophyll-bundle sheath and bundle sheath-vascular parenchyma interfaces. This defect causes starch granule and soluble sugar accumulation in chlorotic leaf tissues, indicating a disruption of the symplastic transport pathway. Collectively, our results uncover an important role for FAH in plant development and identify CLS1 as a key regulator of symplastic carbohydrate partitioning.
- Maize,
- Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase,
- Carbohydrate partitioning,
- Plasmodesmata,
- Tyrosine degradation

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References(55)

References

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