Fig. 7
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of matured grains. The SEM images illustrate the starch–protein interface in the parental line (a and b) compared to the T2 transgenic grains (a and b, WT Golden Promise; c and d, W-ZIP3-2; e and f, W-ZIP8-1; g and h, W-ZIP8-6; i and j, Z-ZIP8-6; k and l, Z-ZIP8-7; m and n, Z-ZIP8-8). The ones in left panel (a, c, e, g, i, k and m) are grains under normal condition, and the ones in right panel (b, d, f, h, j, l and n) are grains under Cd treatment with artificial contamination of 5 mg kg−1 Cd in soil. Note the higher amount of associated protein in transgenic lines, which surrounds the large A type starch granules (Sa) and engulfs the smaller B-type starch granules (Sb). PD, protein deposits; PM, protein matrix among large and small starch granules. Arrows denote specific differences between parental line and transgenic grains or between control and Cd treatment