Grain shape as a major determinant of rice yield and quality is widely believed to be controlled by quantitative trait loci(QTL). We have identified a novel gene 'GS2' to largely regulate grain length and widt...Grain shape as a major determinant of rice yield and quality is widely believed to be controlled by quantitative trait loci(QTL). We have identified a novel gene 'GS2' to largely regulate grain length and width in rice. The GS2 allele in the big-grain rice line ‘CDL’functioned in a dominant manner. In the present study, we employed a chromosome walking strategy in the residual heterozygous lines from recombinant inbred population between cultivar 'R1126' and CDL, and located the GS2 gene in an interval of ~33.2 kb flanked by marker GL2-35-1 and GL2-12 in the long arm of rice chromosome 2. According to genome annotations, three putative gene loci, LOC_Os02g47280, LOC_Os02g47290 and LOC_Os02g47300, exist in this candidate region. In addition, allelic analysis with previously reported genes demonstrated that GS2 was novel for regulating rice grain shape. These results will help promote the cloning and functional characterization of the GS2 gene and further develop linked markers to be used in marker-assisted breeding.展开更多
Grain size is one of the most important factors affecting rice grain quality and yield,and attracts great attention from molecular biologists and breeders.In this study,we engineered a CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting the...Grain size is one of the most important factors affecting rice grain quality and yield,and attracts great attention from molecular biologists and breeders.In this study,we engineered a CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting the miR396 recognition site of the rice GS2 gene,which encodes growth-regulating factor 4(OsGRF4)and regulates multiple agronomic traits including grain size,grain quality,nitrogen use efficiency,abiotic stress response,and seed shattering.In contrast to most previous genome editing efforts in which indel mutations were chosen to obtain null mutants,a mutant named GS2^(E) carrying an in-frame 6-bp deletion and 1-bp substitution within the miR396-targeted sequence was identified.GS2^(E) plants showed increased expression of GS2 in consistent with impaired repression by miR396.As expected,the gain-of-function GS2^(E) mutant exhibited multiple beneficial traits including increased grain size and yield and bigger grain length/width ratio.Thousand grain weight and grain yield per plant of GS2^(E) plants were increased by 23.5%and 10.4%,respectively.These improved traits were passed to hybrids in a semidominant way,suggesting that the new GS2^(E) allele has great potential in rice improvement.Taken together,we report new GS2 germplasm and describe a novel gene-editing strategy that can be widely employed to improve grain size and yield in rice.This trait-improvement strategy could be applied to other genes containing miRNA target sites,in particular the conserved miR396-GRF/GIF module that governs plant growth,development and environmental response.展开更多
Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci （QTLs） regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulate...Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci （QTLs） regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, GRAIN SIZE ON CHROMOSOME 2 （GS2）, which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 （OsGRF4）, a transcriptional regulator. GS2 localizes to the nucleus and may act as a transcription activator. A rare mutation of GS2 affecting the binding site of a microRNA, OsmiR396c, causes elevated expression of GS2/OsGRF4. The increase in GS2 expression leads to larger cells and increased numbers of cells, which thus enhances grain weight and yield. The introduction of this rare allele of GS2/OsGRF4 into rice cultivars could significantly enhance grain weight and increase grain yield, with possible applications in breeding high-yield rice varieties.展开更多
基金supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2011AA10A101)the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (10JJ2025)
文摘Grain shape as a major determinant of rice yield and quality is widely believed to be controlled by quantitative trait loci(QTL). We have identified a novel gene 'GS2' to largely regulate grain length and width in rice. The GS2 allele in the big-grain rice line ‘CDL’functioned in a dominant manner. In the present study, we employed a chromosome walking strategy in the residual heterozygous lines from recombinant inbred population between cultivar 'R1126' and CDL, and located the GS2 gene in an interval of ~33.2 kb flanked by marker GL2-35-1 and GL2-12 in the long arm of rice chromosome 2. According to genome annotations, three putative gene loci, LOC_Os02g47280, LOC_Os02g47290 and LOC_Os02g47300, exist in this candidate region. In addition, allelic analysis with previously reported genes demonstrated that GS2 was novel for regulating rice grain shape. These results will help promote the cloning and functional characterization of the GS2 gene and further develop linked markers to be used in marker-assisted breeding.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0102000)“Breeding of Major New Varieties of Main Grain Crops”Program(2020ABA016)from Department of Science and Technology of Hubei Province.
文摘Grain size is one of the most important factors affecting rice grain quality and yield,and attracts great attention from molecular biologists and breeders.In this study,we engineered a CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting the miR396 recognition site of the rice GS2 gene,which encodes growth-regulating factor 4(OsGRF4)and regulates multiple agronomic traits including grain size,grain quality,nitrogen use efficiency,abiotic stress response,and seed shattering.In contrast to most previous genome editing efforts in which indel mutations were chosen to obtain null mutants,a mutant named GS2^(E) carrying an in-frame 6-bp deletion and 1-bp substitution within the miR396-targeted sequence was identified.GS2^(E) plants showed increased expression of GS2 in consistent with impaired repression by miR396.As expected,the gain-of-function GS2^(E) mutant exhibited multiple beneficial traits including increased grain size and yield and bigger grain length/width ratio.Thousand grain weight and grain yield per plant of GS2^(E) plants were increased by 23.5%and 10.4%,respectively.These improved traits were passed to hybrids in a semidominant way,suggesting that the new GS2^(E) allele has great potential in rice improvement.Taken together,we report new GS2 germplasm and describe a novel gene-editing strategy that can be widely employed to improve grain size and yield in rice.This trait-improvement strategy could be applied to other genes containing miRNA target sites,in particular the conserved miR396-GRF/GIF module that governs plant growth,development and environmental response.
文摘Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci （QTLs） regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, GRAIN SIZE ON CHROMOSOME 2 （GS2）, which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 （OsGRF4）, a transcriptional regulator. GS2 localizes to the nucleus and may act as a transcription activator. A rare mutation of GS2 affecting the binding site of a microRNA, OsmiR396c, causes elevated expression of GS2/OsGRF4. The increase in GS2 expression leads to larger cells and increased numbers of cells, which thus enhances grain weight and yield. The introduction of this rare allele of GS2/OsGRF4 into rice cultivars could significantly enhance grain weight and increase grain yield, with possible applications in breeding high-yield rice varieties.
