The researchers studied how genes related to starch production in high-amylose maize affect the structure of starch molecules. They found that certain genes were linked to the amount and size of amylose and amylopectin chains in the maize plants. As the plants grew, the molecular size of amylopectin in normal maize increased, while the amylose content in high-amylose maize increased. Some genes were negatively correlated with amylose content and long amylopectin chains, but positively correlated with short amylopectin chains and molecular size of amylopectin. Overall, the study shows how specific genes influence the structure of starch in maize plants.