Rice grain size and chalkiness are important traits that influence grain yield and quality,respectively.Mining of genes for grain yield and appearance quality and clarification of their action modes are of great impor...Rice grain size and chalkiness are important traits that influence grain yield and quality,respectively.Mining of genes for grain yield and appearance quality and clarification of their action modes are of great importance in rice breeding.In this study,a rice protein disulfide isomerase-like enzyme PDIL2-3 was characterized.Expression analysis revealed that PDIL2-3 was highly expressed in endosperm and spikelet hulls.The PDIL2-3-cri lines generated by CRISPR/Cas9 technology exhibited a chalky grain phenotype with altered storage substance accumulation and increased grain size and weight,whereas exactly opposite results were obtained for PDIL2-3 overexpression lines.Cytological experiments revealed that PDIL2-3-cri increased rice seed length mainly by increasing the cell number and rice seed width mainly by increasing the cell size in grains,implying that PDIL2-3 regulates the grain size by influencing both cell division and expansion of spikelet hulls.Further flow cytometric analysis validated that PDIL2-3 has a negative effect on cell proliferation,preventing DNA duplication and cell division in spikelet hulls.Moreover,q RT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of genes related to cell cycle and storage substance synthesis were significantly changed in PDIL2-3-cri transgenic lines.Thus,our results indicated that PDIL2-3 plays a pivotal role in influencing grain size and quality of rice by affecting cell division/expansion and storage substance accumulation,providing new insights into the function of PDIL family members in rice and enriching the genetic resources for rice breeding.展开更多
MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are important regulatory elements involved in the regulation of various plant developmental and physiological processes by blocking the expression of target genes.MiR156 and miR529 are two combinatori...MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are important regulatory elements involved in the regulation of various plant developmental and physiological processes by blocking the expression of target genes.MiR156 and miR529 are two combinatorial regulators,which cooperatively target the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE(SPL)family genes.However,there has been no report about the functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 during plant development to date.In this study,the biological function and relationship of miR156,miR529 and their target Os SPL14 in rice were explored.Overexpression of miR156e or miR529a(miR156e-OE and miR529a-OE)increased the grain size and tiller number but decreased the plant height and panicle length,while an opposite phenotype was observed for their target mimicry(miR156-MIMIC and miR529a-MIMIC)transgenic plants.Stem-loop RT-PCR results revealed ubiquitous expression of miR156 in roots,axillary buds and leaves,while miR529 was preferentially expressed in the panicle.Accordingly,Os SPL14 could be preferentially and precisely cleaved by miR529a in young panicle but by miR156 in vegetative tissues.Transgenic plants generated by the target immune strategy exhibited obvious growth defects upon the blocking of miR156 and/or miR529 function in rice,confirming that both miR156 and miR529 play important roles in controlling rice growth and development.Moreover,the miR156/miR529-Os SPL14 module negatively controlled grain size by regulating the genes associated with grain size and cell cycling,and controlled plant height through a more complicated mechanism.Taken together,our results demonstrate that miR156 and miR529 respectively function dominantly in the vegetative stage and reproductive stage to control rice growth and development by regulating the accumulation of Os SPL14.These findings facilitate a better understanding of the functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 family in the miRNA combinatorial regulatory network of plants.展开更多
The calculation of the meridional overturning streamfunction in the southern Indian Ocean is biased by the Indonesian Throughflow.Therefore,this study applies the vertical overturning streamfunction to diagnose the sh...The calculation of the meridional overturning streamfunction in the southern Indian Ocean is biased by the Indonesian Throughflow.Therefore,this study applies the vertical overturning streamfunction to diagnose the shallow overturning circulation in the Indian Ocean.Using the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth simulator output,improvements with the vertical overturning streamfunction compared with the meridional overturning streamfunction are explored.The results show that the vertical overturning streamfunction smoothly connects the shallow overturning circulations of the northern Indian Ocean and the southern Indian Ocean with the whole cycle of the subtropical cell and the cross-equatorial cell.The vertical overturning streamfunction shows a much cleaner shallow overturning circulation,which is underestimated by the meridional overturning streamfunction.It shows that the shallow overturning circulation has a magnitude of~13 Sv(1 Sv≡106 m 3 s−1),of which the subtropical cell accounts for~8 Sv.In addition,the vertical overturning streamfunction captures a clockwise overturning cell in the upper 600 m layer between 30°S and 34°S.This cell has a magnitude of about−5 Sv and probably corresponds to the wind-forced subtropical gyre.Therefore,the vertical overturning streamfunction provides a new approach for estimating the shallow overturning circulation in the Indian Ocean.展开更多
The identification of seed development-related regulators is critical for the genetic improvement of yield and grain quality in cereal crops.SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE14(OsSPL14)is a well-studied,plant-spe...The identification of seed development-related regulators is critical for the genetic improvement of yield and grain quality in cereal crops.SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE14(OsSPL14)is a well-studied,plant-specific transcription factor;however,its roles in controlling rice grain appearance quality and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.In this study,we demon-strate that OsSPL14 positively regulates appearance quality by controlling grain chalkiness in rice.Genetic analysis revealed that knockdown or knockout of OsSPL14 leads to a chalky grain phenotype,which is associated with significant defects in compound starch granules and notable changes in both starch and protein contents in the endosperm.Transcript analysis identified multiple genes regulated by OsSPL14,including the key granule-bound starch synthase gene Waxy(Wx)and the protein disulfide isomerase-like enzyme-encoding gene PDIL1-1.Both in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that OsSPL14 directly binds to the GTAC-box motif in the Wx and PDIL1-1 promoters to enhance their expression.Protein-protein inter-action experiments further revealed that OsSPL14 interacts with the nuclear transcription factor Y(NF-Y)heterodimer OsNF-YB9/YC8-12 to promote the transcription of Wx and PDIL1-1,thereby enhancing rice grain appearance quality.Our findings uncover a novel regulatory pathway controlled by OsSPL14 and pro-vide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying rice grain appearance quality,with promising implications for genetic improvement in rice.展开更多
Dear Editor,Rapeseed(Brassica napus,canola)is the second-most widely cultivated oil crop globally and the most extensively cultivated oil crop in China(Gu et al.,2024).Recently,a development strategy was proposed to e...Dear Editor,Rapeseed(Brassica napus,canola)is the second-most widely cultivated oil crop globally and the most extensively cultivated oil crop in China(Gu et al.,2024).Recently,a development strategy was proposed to explore the potential multifunctional value of rapeseed,which can be used for edible oil,vegetables,fodder,honey,fertilizer,and as a sightseeing attraction(Wang,2018).In rapeseed,shoot branching contributes significantly to fresh shoot production,biomass,and seed yield,thereby increasing its overall value.However,breeders have very limited access to distinct,highly branched germplasm and its underlying genes.BRANCHED1/TEOSINTE BRANCHED1(BRC1/TB1),a conserved TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR(TCP)transcription factor in plants,regulates shoot branching via the integration of multiple bud outgrowth regulatory pathways(Barbier et al.,2019).Given the negative regulation of shoot branching by BRC1/TB1(Wang et al.,2019),we hypothesized disrupting all BRC1 orthologs in rapeseed would generate novel,highly branched germplasm.展开更多
Xanthomonas species colonize many host plants and cause huge losses worldwide.Transcription activator-like effectors(TALEs)are secreted by Xanthomonas and translocated into host cells to manipulate the expression of t...Xanthomonas species colonize many host plants and cause huge losses worldwide.Transcription activator-like effectors(TALEs)are secreted by Xanthomonas and translocated into host cells to manipulate the expression of target genes,especially by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae and Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzicola,which cause bacterial blight and bacterial leaf streak,respectively,in rice.In this review,we summarize the progress of studies on the interaction between Xanthomonas and hosts,covering both rice and other plants.TALEs are not only key factors that make plants susceptible but are also essential components of plant resistance.Characterization of TALEs and TALE-like proteins has improved our understanding of TALE evolution and promoted the development of gene editing tools.In addition,the interactions between TALEs and hosts have also provided strategies and possibilities for genetic engineering in crop improvement.展开更多
基金supported in part by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32472141,32101746,and 32102231)Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(JCZRLH202500540,2021CFB033,and 2022CFB393)。
文摘Rice grain size and chalkiness are important traits that influence grain yield and quality,respectively.Mining of genes for grain yield and appearance quality and clarification of their action modes are of great importance in rice breeding.In this study,a rice protein disulfide isomerase-like enzyme PDIL2-3 was characterized.Expression analysis revealed that PDIL2-3 was highly expressed in endosperm and spikelet hulls.The PDIL2-3-cri lines generated by CRISPR/Cas9 technology exhibited a chalky grain phenotype with altered storage substance accumulation and increased grain size and weight,whereas exactly opposite results were obtained for PDIL2-3 overexpression lines.Cytological experiments revealed that PDIL2-3-cri increased rice seed length mainly by increasing the cell number and rice seed width mainly by increasing the cell size in grains,implying that PDIL2-3 regulates the grain size by influencing both cell division and expansion of spikelet hulls.Further flow cytometric analysis validated that PDIL2-3 has a negative effect on cell proliferation,preventing DNA duplication and cell division in spikelet hulls.Moreover,q RT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of genes related to cell cycle and storage substance synthesis were significantly changed in PDIL2-3-cri transgenic lines.Thus,our results indicated that PDIL2-3 plays a pivotal role in influencing grain size and quality of rice by affecting cell division/expansion and storage substance accumulation,providing new insights into the function of PDIL family members in rice and enriching the genetic resources for rice breeding.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32101746,31872811)Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(2021CFB033,2022CFB393)。
文摘MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are important regulatory elements involved in the regulation of various plant developmental and physiological processes by blocking the expression of target genes.MiR156 and miR529 are two combinatorial regulators,which cooperatively target the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE(SPL)family genes.However,there has been no report about the functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 during plant development to date.In this study,the biological function and relationship of miR156,miR529 and their target Os SPL14 in rice were explored.Overexpression of miR156e or miR529a(miR156e-OE and miR529a-OE)increased the grain size and tiller number but decreased the plant height and panicle length,while an opposite phenotype was observed for their target mimicry(miR156-MIMIC and miR529a-MIMIC)transgenic plants.Stem-loop RT-PCR results revealed ubiquitous expression of miR156 in roots,axillary buds and leaves,while miR529 was preferentially expressed in the panicle.Accordingly,Os SPL14 could be preferentially and precisely cleaved by miR529a in young panicle but by miR156 in vegetative tissues.Transgenic plants generated by the target immune strategy exhibited obvious growth defects upon the blocking of miR156 and/or miR529 function in rice,confirming that both miR156 and miR529 play important roles in controlling rice growth and development.Moreover,the miR156/miR529-Os SPL14 module negatively controlled grain size by regulating the genes associated with grain size and cell cycling,and controlled plant height through a more complicated mechanism.Taken together,our results demonstrate that miR156 and miR529 respectively function dominantly in the vegetative stage and reproductive stage to control rice growth and development by regulating the accumulation of Os SPL14.These findings facilitate a better understanding of the functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 family in the miRNA combinatorial regulatory network of plants.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China[grant number 2016YFC1401803]the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant numbers 41976019 and 42076020]+3 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences[grant number XDA20060502]the open project of the State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography,South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences[grant number LTO1910]the Research Program of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou)[grant number GML2019ZD0306]the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences[grant number ZDRW-XH-2019-2]。
文摘The calculation of the meridional overturning streamfunction in the southern Indian Ocean is biased by the Indonesian Throughflow.Therefore,this study applies the vertical overturning streamfunction to diagnose the shallow overturning circulation in the Indian Ocean.Using the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth simulator output,improvements with the vertical overturning streamfunction compared with the meridional overturning streamfunction are explored.The results show that the vertical overturning streamfunction smoothly connects the shallow overturning circulations of the northern Indian Ocean and the southern Indian Ocean with the whole cycle of the subtropical cell and the cross-equatorial cell.The vertical overturning streamfunction shows a much cleaner shallow overturning circulation,which is underestimated by the meridional overturning streamfunction.It shows that the shallow overturning circulation has a magnitude of~13 Sv(1 Sv≡106 m 3 s−1),of which the subtropical cell accounts for~8 Sv.In addition,the vertical overturning streamfunction captures a clockwise overturning cell in the upper 600 m layer between 30°S and 34°S.This cell has a magnitude of about−5 Sv and probably corresponds to the wind-forced subtropical gyre.Therefore,the vertical overturning streamfunction provides a new approach for estimating the shallow overturning circulation in the Indian Ocean.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32472141 and 32101746)the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(JCZRLH202500540,2021CFB033).
文摘The identification of seed development-related regulators is critical for the genetic improvement of yield and grain quality in cereal crops.SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE14(OsSPL14)is a well-studied,plant-specific transcription factor;however,its roles in controlling rice grain appearance quality and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.In this study,we demon-strate that OsSPL14 positively regulates appearance quality by controlling grain chalkiness in rice.Genetic analysis revealed that knockdown or knockout of OsSPL14 leads to a chalky grain phenotype,which is associated with significant defects in compound starch granules and notable changes in both starch and protein contents in the endosperm.Transcript analysis identified multiple genes regulated by OsSPL14,including the key granule-bound starch synthase gene Waxy(Wx)and the protein disulfide isomerase-like enzyme-encoding gene PDIL1-1.Both in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that OsSPL14 directly binds to the GTAC-box motif in the Wx and PDIL1-1 promoters to enhance their expression.Protein-protein inter-action experiments further revealed that OsSPL14 interacts with the nuclear transcription factor Y(NF-Y)heterodimer OsNF-YB9/YC8-12 to promote the transcription of Wx and PDIL1-1,thereby enhancing rice grain appearance quality.Our findings uncover a novel regulatory pathway controlled by OsSPL14 and pro-vide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying rice grain appearance quality,with promising implications for genetic improvement in rice.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U22A20477 and 32172028).
文摘Dear Editor,Rapeseed(Brassica napus,canola)is the second-most widely cultivated oil crop globally and the most extensively cultivated oil crop in China(Gu et al.,2024).Recently,a development strategy was proposed to explore the potential multifunctional value of rapeseed,which can be used for edible oil,vegetables,fodder,honey,fertilizer,and as a sightseeing attraction(Wang,2018).In rapeseed,shoot branching contributes significantly to fresh shoot production,biomass,and seed yield,thereby increasing its overall value.However,breeders have very limited access to distinct,highly branched germplasm and its underlying genes.BRANCHED1/TEOSINTE BRANCHED1(BRC1/TB1),a conserved TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR(TCP)transcription factor in plants,regulates shoot branching via the integration of multiple bud outgrowth regulatory pathways(Barbier et al.,2019).Given the negative regulation of shoot branching by BRC1/TB1(Wang et al.,2019),we hypothesized disrupting all BRC1 orthologs in rapeseed would generate novel,highly branched germplasm.
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32101747 and 31872811).
文摘Xanthomonas species colonize many host plants and cause huge losses worldwide.Transcription activator-like effectors(TALEs)are secreted by Xanthomonas and translocated into host cells to manipulate the expression of target genes,especially by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae and Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzicola,which cause bacterial blight and bacterial leaf streak,respectively,in rice.In this review,we summarize the progress of studies on the interaction between Xanthomonas and hosts,covering both rice and other plants.TALEs are not only key factors that make plants susceptible but are also essential components of plant resistance.Characterization of TALEs and TALE-like proteins has improved our understanding of TALE evolution and promoted the development of gene editing tools.In addition,the interactions between TALEs and hosts have also provided strategies and possibilities for genetic engineering in crop improvement.
