OsKinesin-13A is an active microtubule depolymerase involved in glume length regulation via affecting cell elongation.

Grain size is an important trait influencing both the yield and quality of rice and its major determinant is glume size. However, how glume size is regulated remains largely unknown. Here, we report the characterization of OsKinesin-13A, which regulates cell elongation and glume length in rice.

Genetic analysis of starch paste viscosity parameters in glutinous rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Starch paste viscosity plays an important role in estimating the cooking, eating, and processing quality of rice. The inheritance of starch paste viscosity in glutinous rice remains undefined. In the present study, 118 glutinous rice accessions were collected, and the genotypes of 17 starch synthesis-related genes (SSRG) were analyzed by using 43 gene-specific molecular markers.

[Molecular mechanism of leaf development].

Leaf plays important roles during plant development for their function of photosynthesis and transpiration. Leaf development includes initiation of leaf primordium and establishment of leaf polarity. Various studies indicate that leaf development is controlled through the interaction of transcription factors, small RNAs and auxin.

ROLLED LEAF 9, encoding a GARP protein, regulates the leaf abaxial cell fate in rice.

Leaves, the collective organ produced by the shoot apical meristem (SAM), are polarized along their adaxial-abaxial axis. In this study, we characterized two rice (Oryza sativa) allelic rolled-leaf mutants, rolled leaf 9-1 (rl9-1) and rl9-2, which display very similar phenotypes with completely adaxialized leaves and malformed spikelets. We cloned the RL9 gene by way of a map-based cloning strategy.

Identification and characterization of a major QTL responsible for erect panicle trait in japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Panicle erectness (PE) is one of the most important traits for high-yielding japonica cultivars. Although several cultivars with PE trait have been developed and released for commercial production in China, there is little information on the inheritance of PE traits in rice. In the present study, 69 widely cultivated japonica cultivars and a double haploid (DH) population derived from a cross between a PE cultivar (Wuyunjing 8) and a drooping panicle cultivar (Nongken 57) were utilized to elucidate the mechanisms of PE formation and to map PE associated genes.

[Molecular mapping of two semidwarf genes in an indica rice variety Aitaiyin3 (Oryza sativa L.)].

The rice dwarf variety Aitaiyin3 is derived from a semidwarf cultivar Taiyin1. Genetic analysis indicated that the dwarf phenotype in Aitaiyin3 is involved in two recessive loci. Using bulk analysis with SSR markers, the two loci were located on the chromosome 1 and chromosome 4, respectively.

[Mapping quantitative trait loci associated with rice grain shape based on an indica/japonica backcross population].

Appearance of rice grain represents a major character of rice quality in many rice-producing areas of the world, especially in hybrid rice production in China. In this study, we conducted a molecular marker-based genetic analysis of the traits that are determinants of the appearance quality of rice grains, including grain length, grain width and grain shape (measured as grain length to grain width ratio). Two typical indica/japonica varieties Balilla and Nantehao(NTH) were selected to construct Balilla/NTH//Balilla backcross population containing 142 individuals.

Molecular marker analysis and genetic basis for sterility of typical indica/japonica hybrids.

To explore the genes differentiated between typical indica and japonica varieties, two typical indica/japonica varieties, Balilla (japonica) and Nantehao (NTH, indica), were selected to construct genetic populations based on the widely surveying for spikelet and pollen fertility of 90 indica/japonica F1 hybrids, which also were used as the wide compatability testers. In order to analyze the genes (QTLs) related to spikelet and pollen fertility, two reciprocal backcross populations Balilla/NTH//Balilla and Balilla/NTH//NTH were constructed and the spikelet and pollen fertility of each individuals were assessed. In both populations, two traits all appeared distorted normal distribution, but in the first population, they forwarded to low-level fertility type, the later population, forwarded to high-level fertility type relatively.