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Plant genetics

Rice stands up

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 9, pages 816–817 (2008)Cite this article

Increasing the weight of each grain of rice, called grain-filling, has been and remains a target of rice selection by humans. Previous studies had isolated QTLs for a few genes, but Wang et al. report on a key regulator of the entire process, a cell-wall invertase that controls the amount of starch in rice tissues, including the grains. They identified GRAIN INCOMPLETE FILLING 1 (GIF1) using a mutant screen, and placed GIF1 in transgenic rice plants to confirm its function. Wang et al. were also able to examine the history of the gene, and demonstrate that its promoter underwent a selective sweep in domesticated rice, exactly as one would expect. Further studies can now focus on increasing yield even further via this gene.

Another useful transition in rice domestication was from a prostrate growth habit (Oryza rufipogon) to an erect one (Oryza sativa), allowing for denser plantings and higher yield (see figure). Separate research groups used these two species of rice in crossing and introgression to isolate, after many increments of genetic mapping, a gene they named PROSTRATE GROWTH 1 (PROG1). Jin et al. show that PROG1 controls the number and angle of tillers in rice plants; the PROG1 protein is a zinc-finger transcription factor and is predominantly expressed in the axillary meristems, the site of tiller bud formation. Similarly, Tan et al. show that inactivation of just the gene PROG1 by mutation leads to desirable phenotypes of erect growth and higher yield. Sequencing the coding region of the gene in 182 erect-growth rice varieties demonstrates evidence of very strong selection, as all 182 strains from around the world have the same haplotype of 15 SNPs and 6 insertions and deletions (indels) in PROG1. Again, future studies can use this gene to improve yield for millions of people around the world who depend on rice as a main source of nutrition.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Wang, E. et al. Control of grain-filling and yield by a gene with a potential signature of rice domestication. Nature Genet. 28 Sep 2008 (doi: 10.1038/ng.220)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Jin, J. et al. Genetic control of rice plant architecture under domestication. Nature Genet. 28 Sep 2008 (doi: 10.1038/ng.247)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tan, L. et al. Control of a key transition from prostate to erect growth in rice domestication. Nature Genet. 28 Sep 2008 (doi: 10.1038/ng.197)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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  1. HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology,

    Chris Gunter

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  1. Chris Gunter
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6th International Rice Genetics Symposium, November 2009

International Rice Research Institute

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Gunter, C. Rice stands up. Nat Rev Genet 9, 816–817 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg2476

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