Control of grain size and weight by the RNA-binding protein EOG1 in rice and wheat
Li Yan,
Bingyang Jiao,
Penggen Duan,
Guanghui Guo,
Baolan Zhang,
Wenjie Jiao,
Hao Zhang,
Huilan Wu,
Limin Zhang,
Huihui Liang,
Jinsong Xu,
Xiahe Huang,
Yingchun Wang,
Yun Zhou,
Yunhai Li
Affiliations
Li Yan
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Advanced Agriculture Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
Bingyang Jiao
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Advanced Agriculture Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
Penggen Duan
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Guanghui Guo
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Baolan Zhang
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Wenjie Jiao
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Advanced Agriculture Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
Hao Zhang
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Advanced Agriculture Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
Huilan Wu
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Limin Zhang
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Huihui Liang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Jinsong Xu
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xiahe Huang
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yingchun Wang
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yun Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China; Corresponding author
Yunhai Li
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Advanced Agriculture Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Grain size is one of the important yield traits in crops. Understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms of grain-size control is important for yield improvement. Here, we report that the enhancer of GS2AA (EOG1) encodes an RNA-binding protein, which can bind mRNAs of several grain-size genes and influence their abundance. The eog1-1 mutant produces large and heavy grains by promoting cell proliferation in the spikelet hull. OsGSK3 physically interacts with and phosphorylates EOG1, thereby influencing the stability of EOG1. Genetic analyses support that EOG1 and OsGSK3 share overlapped function in grain size and weight control but does so independently of GS2. Notably, genome editing of wheat homologs TaEOG1A/B/D causes large and heavy grains. Thus, our findings identify a genetic and molecular mechanism whereby the OsGSK3-EOG1 module regulates grain size and weight in rice, suggesting that this pathway has the potential for grain-size improvement in key crops.
