Comparative proteomic analysis of differentially expressed proteins in the early milky stage of rice grains during high temperature stress

Rice yield and quality are adversely affected by high temperatures, and these effects are more pronounced at the ‘milky stage’ of the rice grain ripening phase. Identifying the functional proteins involved in the response of rice to high temperature stress may provide the basis for improving heat tolerance in rice. In the present study, a comparative proteomic analysis of paired, genetically similar heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive rice lines was conducted. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) revealed a total of 27 differentially expressed proteins in rice grains, predominantly from the heat-tolerant lines. The protein profiles clearly indicated variations in protein expression between the heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive rice lines. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) analysis revealed that 25 of the 27 differentially displayed proteins were homologous to known functional proteins. These homologous proteins were involved in biosynthesis, energy metabolism, oxidation, heat shock metabolism, and the regulation of transcription. Seventeen of the 25 genes encoding the differentially displayed proteins were mapped to rice chromosomes according to the co-segregating conditions between the simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and the target genes in recombinant inbred lines (RILs). The proteins identified in the present study provide a basis to elucidate further the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of rice to high temperature stress.