OsSPL14 promotes panicle branching and higher grain productivity in rice

Identification of alleles that improve crop production and lead to higher-yielding varieties are needed for food security. Here we show that the quantitative trait locus WFP (WEALTHY FARMER'S PANICLE) encodes OsSPL14 (SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 14, also known as IPA1). Higher expression of OsSPL14 in the reproductive stage promotes panicle branching and higher grain yield in rice. OsSPL14 controls shoot branching in the vegetative stage and is affected by microRNA excision. We also demonstrate the feasibility of using the OsSLP14WFP allele to increase rice crop yield. Introduction of the high-yielding OsSPL14WFP allele into the standard rice variety Nipponbare resulted in increased rice production.

[1]  Kenneth Y. Tsai,et al.  Control of CpNpG DNA methylation by the KRYPTONITE histone H 3 methyltransferase , 2002 .

[2]  Gang Wu,et al.  The microRNA-regulated SBP-Box transcription factor SPL3 is a direct upstream activator of LEAFY, FRUITFULL, and APETALA1. , 2009, Developmental cell.

[3]  Detlef Weigel,et al.  Dual Effects of miR156-Targeted SPL Genes and CYP78A5/KLUH on Plastochron Length and Organ Size in Arabidopsis thaliana[W][OA] , 2008, The Plant Cell Online.

[4]  S. Iida,et al.  Expression Level of ABERRANT PANICLE ORGANIZATION1 Determines Rice Inflorescence Form through Control of Cell Proliferation in the Meristem1[W] , 2009, Plant Physiology.

[5]  J. P. Jackson,et al.  Control of CpNpG DNA methylation by the KRYPTONITE histone H3 methyltransferase , 2002, Nature.

[6]  Qian Qian,et al.  Natural variation at the DEP1 locus enhances grain yield in rice , 2009, Nature Genetics.

[7]  Xian-Jun Song,et al.  The ethylene response factors SNORKEL1 and SNORKEL2 allow rice to adapt to deep water , 2009, Nature.

[8]  T. Kakutani,et al.  Control of Genic DNA Methylation by a jmjC Domain-Containing Protein in Arabidopsis thaliana , 2008, Science.

[9]  J. P. Jackson,et al.  Requirement of CHROMOMETHYLASE3 for Maintenance of CpXpG Methylation , 2001, Science.

[10]  I. Henderson,et al.  Gardening the genome: DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana , 2005, Nature Reviews Genetics.

[11]  Wei Huang,et al.  A QTL for rice grain width and weight encodes a previously unknown RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase , 2007, Nature Genetics.

[12]  L. Xiong,et al.  Genomic Organization, Differential Expression, and Interaction of SQUAMOSA Promoter-Binding-Like Transcription Factors and microRNA156 in Rice1[W] , 2006, Plant Physiology.

[13]  M. Matsuoka,et al.  Identification, isolation and pyramiding of quantitative trait loci for rice breeding. , 2006, Trends in plant science.

[14]  Takanori Hirano,et al.  Engineered GFP as a vital reporter in plants , 1996, Current Biology.

[15]  Masahiko Maekawa,et al.  LAX and SPA: Major regulators of shoot branching in rice , 2003, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[16]  Kaworu Ebana,et al.  Deletion in a gene associated with grain size increased yields during rice domestication , 2008, Nature Genetics.

[17]  S. Jacobsen,et al.  A metastable DWARF1 epigenetic mutant affecting plant stature in rice , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[18]  T. Kakutani,et al.  Control of FWA gene silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana by SINE-related direct repeats. , 2006, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[19]  Detlef Weigel,et al.  The Sequential Action of miR156 and miR172 Regulates Developmental Timing in Arabidopsis , 2009, Cell.

[20]  Heinz Saedler,et al.  The microRNA regulated SBP-box genes SPL9 and SPL15 control shoot maturation in Arabidopsis , 2008, Plant Molecular Biology.

[21]  G. An,et al.  Mutations in the rice liguleless gene result in a complete loss of the auricle, ligule, and laminar joint , 2007, Plant Molecular Biology.

[22]  D. Shibata,et al.  Complementation of plant mutants with large genomic DNA fragments by a transformation-competent artificial chromosome vector accelerates positional cloning. , 1999, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[23]  Xiaofeng Cao,et al.  ARGONAUTE4 Control of Locus-Specific siRNA Accumulation and DNA and Histone Methylation , 2003, Science.

[24]  David BotsteinS’B.  Mapping Mendelian Factors Underlying Quantitative Traits Using RFLP Linkage Maps , 2002 .

[25]  Elizabeth E. Hood,et al.  NewAgrobacterium helper plasmids for gene transfer to plants , 1993, Transgenic Research.

[26]  M. Daly,et al.  MAPMAKER: an interactive computer package for constructing primary genetic linkage maps of experimental and natural populations. , 1987, Genomics.

[27]  Detlef Weigel,et al.  miR156-Regulated SPL Transcription Factors Define an Endogenous Flowering Pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana , 2009, Cell.

[28]  H. Kouchi,et al.  Isolation and characterization of novel nodulin cDNAs representing genes expressed at early stages of soybean nodule development , 1993, Molecular and General Genetics MGG.

[29]  J. Kyozuka,et al.  Two-Step Regulation of LAX PANICLE1 Protein Accumulation in Axillary Meristem Formation in Rice[W] , 2009, The Plant Cell Online.

[30]  Q. Qian,et al.  Cytokinin Oxidase Regulates Rice Grain Production , 2005, Science.

[31]  T. Kakutani.  Epi-alleles in plants: inheritance of epigenetic information over generations. , 2002, Plant & cell physiology.

[32]  Bin Han,et al.  GS3, a major QTL for grain length and weight and minor QTL for grain width and thickness in rice, encodes a putative transmembrane protein , 2006, Theoretical and Applied Genetics.