Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Natural variation in GS5 plays an important role in regulating grain size and yield in rice

Nature Genetics volume 43, pages 1266–1269 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Increasing crop yield is one of the most important goals of plant science research. Grain size is a major determinant of grain yield in cereals and is a target trait for both domestication and artificial breeding1. We showed that the quantitative trait locus (QTL) GS5 in rice controls grain size by regulating grain width, filling and weight. GS5 encodes a putative serine carboxypeptidase and functions as a positive regulator of grain size, such that higher expression of GS5 is correlated with larger grain size. Sequencing of the promoter region in 51 rice accessions from a wide geographic range identified three haplotypes that seem to be associated with grain width. The results suggest that natural variation in GS5 contributes to grain size diversity in rice and may be useful in improving yield in rice and, potentially, other crops2.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Map-based cloning of GS5.
Figure 2: Effects of GS5 on grain size and filling.
Figure 3: The effect of GS5 on cell number and size in lemma/palea.
Figure 4: Regulation by GS5 of the expression of genes involved in the cell cycle.

Similar content being viewed by others

Accession codes

Accessions

GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ

NCBI Reference Sequence

References

  1. Xing, Y. & Zhang, Q. Genetic and molecular bases of rice yield. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 61, 421–442 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Zhang, Q. Strategies for developing green super rice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 16402–16409 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Li, X. et al. Control of tillering in rice. Nature 422, 618–621 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Takeda, T. et al. The OsTB1 gene negatively regulates lateral branching in rice. Plant J. 33, 513–520 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ashikari, M. et al. Cytokinin oxidase regulates rice grain production. Science 309, 741–745 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Xue, W. et al. Natural variation in Ghd7 is an important regulator of heading date and yield potential in rice. Nat. Genet. 40, 761–767 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Li, S. et al. Short panicle1 encodes a putative PTR family transporter and determines rice panicle size. Plant J. 58, 592–605 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Jiao, Y. et al. Regulation of OsSPL14 by OsmiR156 defines ideal plant architecture in rice. Nat. Genet. 42, 541–544 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Miura, K. et al. OsSPL14 promotes panicle branching and higher grain productivity in rice. Nat. Genet. 42, 545–549 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wei, X. et al. DTH8 suppresses flowering in rice, influencing plant height and yield potential simultaneously. Plant Physiol. 153, 1747–1758 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Yan, W.H. et al. A major QTL, Ghd8, plays pleiotropic roles in regulating grain productivity, plant height, and heading date in Rice. Mol. Plant 4, 319–330 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Fan, C. 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. Theor. Appl. Genet. 112, 1164–1171 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Takano-Kai, N. et al. Evolutionary history of GS3, a gene conferring grain size in rice. Genetics 182, 1323–1334 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Mao, H. et al. Linking differential domain functions of the GS3 protein to natural variation of grain size in rice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 19579–19584 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Song, X., Huang, W., Shi, M., Zhu, M. & Lin, H.A. QTL for rice grain width and weight encodes a previously unknown RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase. Nat. Genet. 39, 623–630 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Shomura, A. et al. Deletion in a gene associated with grain size increased yields during rice domestication. Nat. Genet. 40, 1023–1028 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Weng, J. et al. Isolation and initial characterization of GW5, a major QTL associated with rice grain width and weight. Cell Res. 18, 1199–1209 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Wang, E. et al. Control of rice grain-filling and yield by a gene with a potential signature of domestication. Nat. Genet. 40, 1370–1374 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wu, C. et al. Brassinosteroids regulate grain filling in rice. Plant Cell 20, 2130–2145 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Li, J. et al. Analyzing quantitative trait loci for yield using a vegetatively replicated F2 population from a cross between the parents of an elite rice hybrid. Theor. Appl. Genet. 101, 248–254 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Tan, Y. et al. Genetic bases of appearance quality of rice grains in Shanyou 63, an elite rice hybrid. Theor. Appl. Genet. 101, 823–829 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Xing, Y. et al. Characterization of the main effects, epistatic effects and their environmental interactions of QTLs on the genetic basis of yield traits in rice. Theor. Appl. Genet. 105, 248–257 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Yu, S. et al. Importance of epistasis as the genetic basis of heterosis in an elite rice hybrid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 9226–9231 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kikuchi, S. et al. Collection, mapping, and annotation of over 28,000 cDNA clones from japonica rice. Science 301, 376–379 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Liu, J., Cong, B. & Tanksley, S. Generation and analysis of an artificial gene dosage series in tomato to study the mechanisms by which the cloned quantitative trait locus fw2.2 controls fruit size. Plant Physiol. 132, 292–299 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Jeong, D. et al. Generation of flanking sequence-tag database for activation-tagging lines in japonica rice. Plant J. 45, 123–132 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Jeon, J. et al. T-DNA insertional mutagenesis for functional genomics in rice. Plant J. 22, 561–570 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Francis, D. The plant cell cycle-15 years on. New Phytol. 174, 261–278 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Inzé, D. Green light for the cell cycle. EMBO J. 24, 657–662 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Inzé, D. & De Veylder, L. Cell cycle regulation in plant development. Annu. Rev. Genet. 40, 77–105 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. De Veylder, L., Beeckman, T. & Inzé, D. The ins and outs of the plant cell cycle. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 8, 655–665 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Dewitte, W. & Murray, J. The plant cell cycle. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 54, 235–264 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Frary, A. et al. fw2.2: a quantitative trait locus key to the evolution of tomato fruit size. Science 289, 85–88 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Cong, B., Liu, J. & Tanksley, S. Natural alleles at a tomato fruit size quantitative trait locus differ by heterochronic regulatory mutations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 13606–13611 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Hiei, Y., Ohta, S., Komari, T. & Kumashiro, T. Efficient transformation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) mediated by Agrobacterium and sequence analysis of the boundaries of the T-DNA. Plant J. 6, 271–282 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Livak, K. & Schmittgen, T. Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2−ΔΔCT method. Methods 25, 402–408 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank J. Hu, H. Du, W. Dong and G. Gao for their help and suggestions, and G. An (Kyung Hee University, Crop Biotech Institute, Republic of Korea) for the mutant line. This work was supported by grants from the National 863 Project, the National Program on the Development of Basic Research, the National Program on R&D of Transgenic Plants, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China

    Yibo Li, Chuchuan Fan, Yongzhong Xing, Yunhe Jiang, Lijun Luo, Liang Sun, Di Shao, Chunjue Xu, Xianghua Li, Jinghua Xiao, Yuqing He & Qifa Zhang

Authors
  1. Yibo Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chuchuan Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yongzhong Xing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yunhe Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lijun Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Liang Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Di Shao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Chunjue Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Xianghua Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jinghua Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Yuqing He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Qifa Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Y.L. conducted most of the experiments, including fine mapping, gene cloning, genetic transformation, expression analysis, mutant analysis, histological analysis and other functional analysis; C.F., Y.X. and L.L. conducted the QTL primary mapping analysis and developed the NILs; Y.J. and L.S. carried out part of the cell division and expression analysis; D.S., C.X., X.L. and J.X. participated in the promoter sequencing; Y.H. and Q.Z. designed and supervised the study; and Y.L. and Q.Z. analyzed the data and wrote the paper. All of the authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yuqing He or Qifa Zhang.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Text and Figures

Supplementary Tables 1–10 and Supplementary Figures 1–5 (PDF 819 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, Y., Fan, C., Xing, Y. et al. Natural variation in GS5 plays an important role in regulating grain size and yield in rice. Nat Genet 43, 1266–1269 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.977

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.977

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing