ALK — Oryza sativa Japonica

Summary

OS06G0229800 (ALK, also known as OsSS2, SSII-2) on rice chromosome 6 encodes a starch synthase with alpha-1,4-glucan glucosyltransferase activity (EC 2.4.1.21), belonging to the GS/SS family with a starch synthase catalytic domain. The gene is associated with amylopectin anabolism, starch anabolism, endosperm development, nitrogen utilization, mating, digestion, and syngamy, and its product localizes to the amyloplast. ALK is associated with cooking quality, starch gelatinization temperature, amylopectin content and chain length distribution, head rice yield, grain weight, grain size, grain number, grain yield, plant height, panicle length, spikelet fertility, leaf width, leaf length, heat tolerance, heterosis, cytoplasmic male sterility, culm length, seed shape, starch content, protein content, and grain number. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to amylose-to-amylopectin ratio, grain shape, and starch grain synthesis.