Contribution of the grain size QTL to yield properties and physiological nitrogen-use efficiency in the large-grain rice cultivar 'Akita 63'.

The development of crop varieties with high nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) is thought to be important in achieving sustainable cereal crop production. The high yield large-grain rice cultivar L. 'Akita 63' ( ) has high physiological NUE (PNUE) for grain yield (GY).

The allele from a large-grain rice cultivar, Akita 63, increases yield and improves nitrogen-use efficiency.

The Green Revolution allowed a large amount of nitrogen (N) fertilization to increase crop yield but has led to severe environmental pollution. Therefore, increasing the crop grain yield must be achieved without such considerable input of N fertilization. A large-grain rice cultivar, Akita 63, significantly increased grain yield and improved N-use efficiency (NUE) for yield per amount of N absorbed by plants.

Photosynthetic Enhancement, Lifespan Extension, and Leaf Area Enlargement in Flag Leaves Increased the Yield of Transgenic Rice Plants Overproducing Rubisco Under Sufficient N Fertilization.

Background: Improvement in photosynthesis is one of the most promising approaches to increase grain yields. Transgenic rice plants overproducing Rubisco by 30% (RBCS-sense rice plants) showed up to 28% increase in grain yields under sufficient nitrogen (N) fertilization using an isolated experimental paddy field (Yoon et al. in Nat Food 1:134-139, 2020).

High yielding ability of a large-grain rice cultivar, Akita 63.

To increase the yield potential while limiting the environmental impact of N management practices is an important issue in rice cultivation. The large-grain rice cultivar Akita 63 showed higher N-use efficiency for grain production. To elucidate this, we analyzed yield characteristics of Akita 63 in comparison with those of a maternal cultivar, Oochikara with a large grain, a paternal cultivar, Akita 39 with a normal grain, and a Japanese leading cultivar, Akitakomachi.

Transgenic rice overproducing Rubisco exhibits increased yields with improved nitrogen-use efficiency in an experimental paddy field.

The green revolution's breeding of semi-dwarf rice cultivars in the 1960s improved crop yields, with large increases in the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. However, excess N application has caused serious environmental problems, including acid rain and the eutrophication of rivers and oceans. To use N to improve crop yields, while minimizing the associated environmental costs, there is a need to produce crops with higher N-use efficiency and higher yield components.

Whole-Plant Dynamic System of Nitrogen Use for Vegetative Growth and Grain Filling in Rice Plants (Oryza sativa L.) as Revealed through the Production of 350 Grains from a Germinated Seed Over 150 Days: A Review and Synthesis.

A single germinated rice (Oryza sativa L) seed can produce 350 grains with the sequential development of 15 leaves on the main stem and 7-10 leaves on four productive tillers (forming five panicles in total), using nitrogen (N) taken up from the environment over a 150-day growing season. Nitrogen travels from uptake sites to the grain through growing organ-directed cycling among sequentially developed organs. Over the past 40 years, the dynamic system for N allocation during vegetative growth and grain filling has been elucidated through studies on N and (15)N transport as well as enzymes and transporters involved.

Rice cultivar responses to elevated CO at two free-air CO enrichment (FACE) sites in Japan.

There is some evidence that rice cultivars respond differently to elevated CO2 concentrations ([CO2]), but [CO2]×cultivar interaction has never been tested under open-field conditions across different sites. Here, we report on trials conducted at free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facilities at two sites in Japan, Shizukuishi (2007 and 2008) and Tsukuba (2010). The average growing-season air temperature was more than 5°C warmer at Tsukuba than at Shizukuishi.

Crystal structure of rice Rubisco and implications for activation induced by positive effectors NADPH and 6-phosphogluconate.

The key enzyme of plant photosynthesis, D-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), must be activated to become catalytically competent via the carbamylation of Lys201 of the large subunit and subsequent stabilization by Mg(2+) coordination. Many biochemical studies have reported that reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and 6-phosphogluconate (6PG) function as positive effectors to promote activation. However, the structural mechanism remains unknown.

Differences in expression of the RBCS multigene family and rubisco protein content in various rice plant tissues at different growth stages.

Four out of five members of the RBCS multigene family (OsRBCS2-OsRBCS5) were highly expressed in leaf blades of rice (Oryza sativa L.) irrespective of plant growth stage, whereas accumulation of all RBCS mRNAs in leaf sheaths, roots and developing spikelets was quite low. A highly positive correlation was observed between total RBCS and RBCL mRNA levels and Rubisco content at their maxima, irrespective of tissue and growth stage.

Rubisco content and photosynthesis of leaves at different positions in transgenic rice with an overexpression of RBCS.

As ribulose 1.5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity limits light-saturated photosynthesis under present atmospheric condition, the effects of an overexpression of RBCSon Rubisco content and photosynthesis were examined in the leaves at different positions in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Autophagy plays a role in chloroplast degradation during senescence in individually darkened leaves.

Chloroplasts contain approximately 80% of total leaf nitrogen and represent a major source of recycled nitrogen during leaf senescence. While bulk degradation of the cytosol and organelles in plants is mediated by autophagy, its role in chloroplast catabolism is largely unknown. We investigated the effects of autophagy disruption on the number and size of chloroplasts during senescence.

Identification of small RNAs in late developmental stage of rice anthers.

Small RNAs including microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) are known as repressors of gene expression. There are many plant proteins involved in small RNA-mediated gene silencing, such as Dicer ribonucleases and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. However, most of these proteins have been reported to be absent in the late developmental stage of the plant male gamete, pollen.

Mobilization of rubisco and stroma-localized fluorescent proteins of chloroplasts to the vacuole by an ATG gene-dependent autophagic process.

During senescence and at times of stress, plants can mobilize needed nitrogen from chloroplasts in leaves to other organs. Much of the total leaf nitrogen is allocated to the most abundant plant protein, Rubisco. While bulk degradation of the cytosol and organelles in plants occurs by autophagy, the role of autophagy in the degradation of chloroplast proteins is still unclear.

RNA extraction from various recalcitrant plant tissues with a cethyltrimethylammonium bromide-containing buffer followed by an acid guanidium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform treatment.

High-quality total RNA was extracted using a cethyltrimethylammonium bromide-containing buffer followed by an acid guanidium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform treatment from recalcitrant plant tissues such as tree leaves (pine, Norway spruce, ginkgo, Japanese cedar, rose), flowers (rose, Lotus japonicus) and storage tissues (seeds of Lotus japonicus and rice, sweet potato tuber, banana fruit). This protocol greatly reduced the time required for RNA extraction.

Rubiscolytics: fate of Rubisco after its enzymatic function in a cell is terminated.

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is the predominant protein in photosynthesizing plant parts and the most abundant protein on earth. Amino acids deriving from its net degradation during senescence are transported to sinks (e.g.

Changes in the synthesis of rubisco in rice leaves in relation to senescence and N influx.

Background And Aims: The amount of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1.

Increased Rubisco content in transgenic rice transformed with the 'sense' rbcS gene.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants with substantially increased Rubisco content were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with the rice rbcS sense gene under the control of the rice rbcS promoter. The primary transformants were screened for the ratio of Rubisco to leaf-N content, and the transformants with >120% wild-type levels of Rubisco were selected.

In vivo fragmentation of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase by reactive oxygen species in an intact leaf of cucumber under chilling-light conditions.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the large subunit (LSU) of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) is site-specifically cleaved by a hydroxyl radical (*OH) generated in the illuminated chloroplast lysates or by an artificial *OH-generating system. However, it is not known whether such cleavage of the LSU by reactive oxygen species (ROS) actually occurs in an intact leaf. When leaf discs of chilling-sensitive cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.

The photosynthetic properties of rice leaves treated with low temperature and high irradiance.

Photosynthetic characteristics in rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaves were examined after treatment with low temperature (15 degrees C) and high irradiance (1,500 micromol quanta m(-2) s(-1)). Decreases in quantum efficiencies in PSII (PhiPSII) and PSI (PhiPSI) and in the rate of CO2 assimilation were observed with a decrease in the maximal quantum efficiency of PSII (F(v)/F(m)) by simultaneous measurements of Chl fluorescence, P700+ absorbance and gas exchange.

Changes in the thermal dissipation and the electron flow in the water-water cycle in rice grown under conditions of physiologically low temperature.

Effects of low temperature on chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence, gas exchange rate, the amounts of xanthophyll cycle pigments (Xp) and the activities of several antioxidant enzymes were examined in the 8th leaf of two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (japonica and indica types) and rbcS antisense rice. All plants were grown hydroponically at 25/20 degrees C (day/night), and then exposed to 20/17 degrees C (day/night) after full expansion of the 8th leaf, or exposed to either 20/17 degrees C or 15/13 degrees C (day/night) during the expansion of the 8th leaf.

Differences between maize and rice in N-use efficiency for photosynthesis and protein allocation.

The N-use efficiency for photosynthesis was higher in a C(4) plant, maize, than in a C(3) plant, rice, including rbcS antisense rice with optimal ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) content for CO(2)-saturated photosynthesis, even when photosynthesis was measured under saturating CO(2) conditions. The N cost for the C(4) cycle enzymes in maize was not large, and the lower amount of Rubisco allowed a greater N investment in the thylakoid components. This greater content of the thylakoid components as well as the CO(2) concentrating mechanism may support higher N-use efficiency for photosynthesis in maize.

Exclusion of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from chloroplasts by specific bodies in naturally senescing leaves of wheat.

Immunocytochemical electron-microscopic observation indicated that ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1.

Effect of irradiance on the partitioning of assimilated carbon during the early phase of grain filling in rice.

Low irradiance in the early phase of grain filling in rice often results in a low grain yield, but its effects on the partitioning of previously or recently assimilated carbon within the plant or panicle have not been seriously examined. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effect of shading during the different stages in the early phase of grain filling on the partitioning of previously or recently assimilated carbon among constituent organs and into superior and inferior spikelets of the panicle in rice (Oryza sativa L. 'Sasanishiki') plants using 13C as a tracer.

The degradation of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase into the 44-kDa fragment in the lysates of chloroplasts incubated in darkness.

Lysates of chloroplasts isolated from naturally senescing wheat leaves were incubated in darkness. The 44-kDa fragment, lacking the N-terminal-side portion of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (LSU), was found by immunoblotting with the LSU site-specific antibodies. Analysis of its N-terminal amino acid sequence indicated that the LSU was specifically cleaved at the peptide bond between Phe-40 and Arg-41.

Fe2+-catalyzed site-specific cleavage of the large subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase close to the active site.

Previous work has demonstrated that the large subunit (rbcL) of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) from wheat is cleaved at Gly-329 by the Fe(2+)/ascorbate/H(2)O(2) system (Ishida, H., Makino, A., and Mae, T.