Disruption of ζ-Carotene Desaturase Protein ALE1 Leads to Chloroplast Developmental Defects and Seedling Lethality.

ζ-carotene desaturase (ZDS) is a key enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis and plays an important role in plant photosynthesis. We characterized an albino leaf-color mutant obtained from ethyl methanesulfonate treatment: albino and seedling lethality 1 (). The material contains a chloroplast thylakoid defect where photosynthetic pigments declined and reactive oxygen species accumulated resulting in death within 3 weeks.

Single-point Mutation of an Histidine-aspartic Domain-containing Gene involving in Chloroplast Ribosome Biogenesis Leads to White Fine Stripe Leaf in Rice.

Plant leaves are a crucial organ associated closely with chloroplast development, photosynthesis rate and crop productivity. In this study, a white fine stripe leaf 1 (wfsl1) mutant was isolated and characterized from the japonica rice Zhonghua11 (ZH11) after ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis. The wfsl1 displayed white fine stripe leaves since tillering stage and abnormal chloroplast structure.

A Rare Allele of GS2 Enhances Grain Size and Grain Yield in Rice.

Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, grain size on chromosome 2 (GS2), which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), a transcriptional regulator.

Measuring the damage of heavy metal cadmium in rice seedlings by SRAP analysis combined with physiological and biochemical parameters.

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most poisonous pollutants, and Cd pollution has become the limiting factor of rice production and quality improvement. Therefore it is of significant importance to monitor Cd toxicity by the detection of Cd contamination in rice with biomarkers. In the present study, sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and physiological and biochemical methods were applied to determine the toxicological effects of Cd stress on rice.