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The tradeoff between protein and oil storage in oilseed crops has been tested here in oilseed rape ( Brassica napus ) by analyzing the effect of suppressing key genes encoding protein storage products (napin and cruciferin). The phenotypic outcomes were assessed using NMR and mass spectrometry imaging, microscopy, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, immunological assays, and flux balance analysis. Surprisingly, the profile of storage products was only moderately changed in RNA interference transgenics. However, embryonic cells had undergone remarkable architectural rearrangements. The suppression of storage proteins led to the elaboration of membrane stacks enriched with oleosin (sixfold higher protein abundance) and novel endoplasmic reticulum morphology. Protein rebalancing and amino acid metabolism were focal points of the metabolic adjustments to maintain embryonic carbon/nitrogen homeostasis. Flux balance analysis indicated a rather minor additional demand for cofactors (ATP and NADPH). Thus, cellular plasticity in seeds protects against perturbations to its storage capabilities and, hence, contributes materially to homeostasis. This study provides mechanistic insights into the intriguing link between lipid and protein storage, which have implications for biotechnological strategies directed at improving oilseed crops., (© 2020 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.)

Transcription of Arabidopsis thaliana seed maturation (MAT) genes is controlled by members of several transcription factor families, such as basic leucine zippers (bZIPs), B3s, MYBs, and DOFs. In this work, we identify Arabidopsis bZIP53 as a novel transcriptional regulator of MAT genes. bZIP53 expression in developing seeds precedes and overlaps that of its target genes. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches indicate a correlation between the amount of bZIP53 protein and MAT gene expression. Specific in vivo and in vitro binding of bZIP53 protein to a G-box element in the albumin 2S2 promoter is demonstrated. Importantly, heterodimerization with bZIP10 or bZIP25, previously described bZIP regulators of MAT gene expression, significantly enhances DNA binding activity and produces a synergistic increase in target gene activation. Full-level target gene activation is strongly correlated with the ratio of the correspondent bZIP heterodimerization partners. Whereas bZIP53 does not interact with ABI3, a crucial transcriptional regulator in Arabidopsis seeds, ternary complex formation between the bZIP heterodimers and ABI3 increases the expression of MAT genes in planta. We therefore propose that heterodimers containing bZIP53 participate in enhanceosome formation to produce a dramatic increase in MAT gene transcription.