<i>SLL1-ZH</i> Regulates Spikelets Architecture and Grain Yield in Rice
Lianping Sun,
Jingxin Wang,
Xiaoxia Wen,
Zequn Peng,
Daibo Chen,
Yingxin Zhang,
Shihua Cheng,
Liyong Cao,
Xiaodeng Zhan
Affiliations
Lianping Sun
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Jingxin Wang
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Xiaoxia Wen
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Zequn Peng
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Daibo Chen
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Yingxin Zhang
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Shihua Cheng
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Liyong Cao
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
Xiaodeng Zhan
Key Laboratory for Zhejiang Super Rice Research, Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement and Stat Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 311402, China
The spikelet developmental processes that control structure and floral organ identity play critical roles in rice grain yield formation. In this study, we characterized a novel rice mutant, SLL1-ZH, which exhibits a variety of defective agronomic characters, including semi-dwarf, rolling leaf, deformed panicles, and reduced grains production. Morphological analysis also revealed that the SLL1-ZH mutant shows numerous defects of floral organs, such as cracked glumes, hooked and thin lemmas, shrunken but thickened paleas, an indeterminate number of stamens and stigmas, and heterotopic ovaries. Map-based cloning identified a single nucleotide substitution (C to G) in the first exon of LOC_Os09g23200 that is responsible for the SLL1-ZH phenotype. In addition, qPCR analysis showed a significant change in the relative expression of SLL1-ZH in the mutant during inflorescence differentiation and in the different floral organs. Transcription of rice floral organ development-related factors also changed significantly in the mutant. Therefore, our results suggested that SLL1-ZH plays a great role in plant growth, spikelet development, and grain yield in rice.
