Overexpression of Changes Leaf Morphology and Defense to Insect in Rice.

It has been reported that the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) regulate many biological processes in plants, but only a few members have been functionally characterized. Here, we isolated a rice gene encoding homology protein kinase, , which belongs to the RLCK VI subfamily. transcript accumulated in many tissues at low to moderate levels and at high levels in leaves. Overexpression of (OE-) caused adaxial rolling and erect morphology of rice leaves. In the rolled leaves of OE- plants, both the number and the size of the bulliform cells are decreased compared to the wild-type (WT) plants. Moreover, the height, tiller number, and seed setting rate were reduced in OE- plants. In addition, the brown planthopper (BPH), a devastating pest of rice, preferred to settle on WT plants than on the OE- plants in a two-host choice test, indicating that OE- conferred an antixenosis resistance to BPH. The analysis of transcriptome sequencing demonstrated that several receptor kinases and transcription factors were differentially expressed in OE- plants and WT plants. These results indicated that may play multiple roles in the development and defense of rice, which may facilitate the breeding of novel rice varieties.