IC4R001-lncRNA-2012-22308482
Contents
Project Title
A long noncoding RNA regulates photoperiod-sensitive male sterility, an essential component of hybrid rice
The Background of This Project
- Hybrid rice has greatly contributed to the global increase of rice productivity.Amajorcomponentthatfacilitatedthedevelopmentof hybrids was a mutant showing photoperiod-sensitive male sterility(PSMS) with its fertility regulated by day length. Transcriptome studies have shown that large portions of the eukaryotic genomic sequences are transcribed to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, the potential roles for only a few lncRNAs have been brought to light at present. Thus, great efforts have to be invested to understand the biological functions of lncRNAs.
- Photoperiod regulates a large array of processes underlying growth and development of plants. It has been known for centuries that flowering of plants is regulated by day length. In recent years, many genes for photoperiod-controlled flowering have been identified in a number of plants, leading to characterization of pathways in flowering regulation. However, photoperiod regulation of other developmental processes has been studied in far less detail than flowering. It has been reported in several plants that male fertility is also sensitive to photoperiod; acriticaldaylengthisrequiredfornormalpollendevelopment. However, nothing is known about the molecular control of the photoperiod regulation of male fertility, despite the tremendous progress in recent years in genetic and molecular understanding of male reproductive development in many plant species.
- Hybridricehasgreatlycontributedtotheglobal increaseofrice productivity. A spontaneous mutant exhibiting photo-period-sensitive male sterility (PSMS) was found in 1973 in a japonica rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) variety Nongken 58 (referred to as 58N) in Hubei Province, China. Intensive studies of the mutant (58S) established that its pollen fertility is regulated by day length; it is completely sterile when grown under long-day conditions, whereas pollen fertility varies when it is grown under short-day conditions (SI Appendix, Fig. S1); and the critical stage forphotoperiod induction comesbetween secondary branch differentiation and microsporogenesis during panicle development, suggesting that photoperiod regulation of PSMS is independent of photoperiod flowering. For hybrid rice breeding, PSMS rice can be used to propagate itself under short days, and to produce hybrid seeds by interplanting it with normal fertile lines under long-day conditions. Moreover, PSMS rice has a broad spectrum of restoration; all of the normal rice varieties tested can restore the fertility of F 1 hybrids. Two-line hybrids developed using this PSMS germplasm have occupied millions of hectaresofricefieldsmostlyinChinaformorethanadecade. PSMS germplasms have also been found and explored in several other crops.
Plant Culture & Treatment
Figure 1 Box plots for relative phenotypic values. The median of each trait is shown as the horizontal bar in the box, and the upper and lower sides of a box represent the first and third quartile values of the distribution, respectively. Whiskers extended to 1.5 times the interquartile range (box size) or to the maximum/minimum values.
Research Findings
Labs working on this Project
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan 430070, China
Corresponding Author
- ()
