Starch Granule Size and Morphology of Starch-Related Mutants Analyzed during Diurnal Rhythm and Development.

Transitory starch plays a central role in the life cycle of plants. Many aspects of this important metabolism remain unknown; however, starch granules provide insight into this persistent metabolic process. Therefore, monitoring alterations in starch granules with high temporal resolution provides one significant avenue to improve understanding. Here, a previously established method that combines LCSM and safranin-O staining for in vivo imaging of transitory starch granules in leaves of was employed to demonstrate, for the first time, the alterations in starch granule size and morphology that occur both throughout the day and during leaf aging. Several starch-related mutants were included, which revealed differences among the generated granules. In and , the starch granules in old leaves were much larger than those in young leaves; however, the typical flattened discoid morphology was maintained. In and , the morphology of starch granules in young leaves was altered, with a more rounded shape observed. With leaf development, the starch granules became spherical exclusively in . Thus, the presented data provide new insights to contribute to the understanding of starch granule morphogenesis.