GNP6, a novel allele of MOC1, regulates panicle and tiller development in rice
Zhanying Zhang,
Xingming Sun,
Xiaoqian Ma,
Bingxia Xu,
Yong Zhao,
Zhiqi Ma,
Gangling Li,
Najeeb Ullah Khan,
Yinghua Pan,
Yuntao Liang,
Hongliang Zhang,
Jinjie Li,
Zichao Li
Affiliations
Zhanying Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Xingming Sun
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Xiaoqian Ma
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Bingxia Xu
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Yong Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Zhiqi Ma
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Gangling Li
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Najeeb Ullah Khan
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Yinghua Pan
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rice Genetics and Breeding, Rice Research Institute of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, Guangxi, China
Yuntao Liang
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rice Genetics and Breeding, Rice Research Institute of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, Guangxi, China
Hongliang Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Jinjie Li
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Zichao Li
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Corresponding author.
The yield of rice is mostly affected by three factors, namely, panicle number, grain number and grain weight. Variation in panicle and grain numbers is mainly caused by tiller and panicle branches generated from axillary meristems (AMs). MOC1 encodes a putative GRAS family nuclear protein that regulates AM formation. Although several alleles of MOC1 have been identified, its variation in germplasm resources remains unclear. In the present study we characterized a novel moc1 allele named gnp6 which has a thymine insertion in the coding sequence of the SAW motif in the GRAS domain. This mutation causes arrested branch formation. The SAW motif is necessary for nuclear localization of GNP6/MOC1 where it functions as a transcription factor or co-regulator. Haplotype analysis showed that the coding region of GNP6/MOC1 was conserved without any non-synonymous mutations in 240 rice accessions. However, variation in the promoter region might affect the expression of it and its downstream genes. Joint haplotype analysis of GNP6/MOC1 and MOC3 showed that haplotype combinations H9, H10 and H11, namely MOC1-Hap1 in combination with MOC3-Hap3, MOC3-Hap4 or MOC3-Hap5 could be bred to promote branch formation. These findings will enrich the genetic resources available for rice breeders.
