Natural alleles of a uridine 5'-diphospho-glucosyltransferase gene responsible for differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice.

Traditional upland rice generally exhibits insufficient grains resulting from abnormal endosperm development compared to paddy rice. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of this trait is poorly understood. Here, we cloned the uridine 5'-diphospho (UDP)-glucosyltransferase gene EDR1 (Endosperm Development in Rice) responsible for differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice by performing quantitative trait loci analysis and map-based cloning. EDR1 was highly expressed in developing seeds during grain filling. Natural variations in EDR1 significantly reduced the UDP-glucosyltransferase activity of EDR1 compared to EDR1 , resulting in abnormal endosperm development in the near-isogenic line, accompanied by insufficient grains and changes in grain quality. By analyzing the distribution of the two alleles EDR1 and EDR1 among diverse paddy rice and upland rice varieties, we discovered that EDR1 was conserved in upland rice, but segregated in paddy rice. Further analyses of grain chalkiness in the alleles of EDR1 and EDR1 varieties indicated that rice varieties harboring EDR1 and EDR1 preferentially showed high chalkiness, and low chalkiness, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the UDP-glucosyltransferase gene EDR1 is an important determinant controlling differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice.