Lysine 98 in NAC20/NAC26 transcription factors: a key regulator of starch and protein synthesis in rice endosperm.

Starch and proteins are main storage product to determine the appearance, cooking, texture, and nutritional quality of rice (Oryza sativa L.). OsNAC20 and OsNAC26, as pivotal transcription factors, redundantly regulate the expression of genes responsible for starch and protein synthesis in the rice endosperm.

In silico analysis of the wheat BBX gene family and identification of candidate genes for seed dormancy and germination.

Background: B-box (BBX) proteins are a type of zinc finger proteins containing one or two B-box domains. They play important roles in development and diverse stress responses of plants, yet their roles in wheat remain unclear.

Results: In this study, 96 BBX genes were identified in the wheat genome and classified into five subfamilies.

A CYP78As-small grain4-coat protein complex Ⅱ pathway promotes grain size in rice.

CYP78A, a cytochrome P450 subfamily that includes rice (Oryza sativa L.) BIG GRAIN2 (BG2, CYP78A13) and Arabidopsis thaliana KLUH (KLU, CYP78A5), generate an unknown mobile growth signal (referred to as a CYP78A-derived signal) that increases grain (seed) size. However, the mechanism by which the CYP78A pathway increases grain size remains elusive.

The transcriptional hub SHORT INTERNODES1 integrates hormone signals to orchestrate rice growth and development.

Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to coordinate their growth and stress responses via integrating various phytohormone signaling pathways. However, the precise molecular mechanisms orchestrating integration of the phytohormone signaling pathways remain largely obscure. In this study, we found that the rice (Oryza sativa) short internodes1 (shi1) mutant exhibits typical auxin-deficient root development and gravitropic response, brassinosteroid (BR)-deficient plant architecture and grain size as well as enhanced abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated drought tolerance.

OsCYBDOMG1, a cytochrome b561 domain-containing protein, regulates salt tolerance and grain yield in rice.

OsCYBDOMG1 positively regulates salt tolerance, plant growth, and grain yield by affecting ascorbate biosynthesis and redox state. Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress affecting rice growth and productivity. Many genes involved in the salt stress response have been identified, but the precise mechanisms underlying salt tolerance remain unclear.

Young Leaf White Stripe encodes a P-type PPR protein required for chloroplast development.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins function in post-transcriptional regulation of organellar gene expression. Although several PPR proteins are known to function in chloroplast development in rice (Oryza sativa), the detailed molecular functions of many PPR proteins remain unclear. Here, we characterized a rice young leaf white stripe (ylws) mutant, which has defective chloroplast development during early seedling growth.

ESCRT-III component OsSNF7.2 modulates leaf rolling by trafficking and endosomal degradation of auxin biosynthetic enzyme OsYUC8 in rice.

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) is highly conserved in eukaryotic cells and plays an essential role in the biogenesis of multivesicular bodies and cargo degradation to the plant vacuole or lysosomes. Although ESCRT components affect a variety of plant growth and development processes, their impact on leaf development is rarely reported. Here, we found that OsSNF7.

Isolation and Characterization of Encoding a Porphobilinogen Deaminase in Rice.

The formation and development of chloroplasts play a vital role in the breeding of high-yield rice ( L.). Porphobilinogen deaminases (PBGDs) act in the early stage of chlorophyll and heme biosynthesis.

Transcriptional repressor RST1 controls salt tolerance and grain yield in rice by regulating gene expression of asparagine synthetase.

Salt stress impairs nutrient metabolism in plant cells, leading to growth and yield penalties. However, the mechanism by which plants alter their nutrient metabolism processes in response to salt stress remains elusive. In this study, we identified and characterized the rice () () mutant, which displayed improved salt tolerance and grain yield.

A deleterious Sar1c variant in rice inhibits export of seed storage proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum.

We identified a dosage-dependent dominant negative form of Sar1c, which confirms the essential role of COPII system in mediating ER export of storage proteins in rice endosperm. Higher plants accumlate large amounts of seed storage proteins (SSPs). However, mechanisms underlying SSP trafficking are largely unknown, especially the ER-Golgi anterograde process.

The N-methyladenosine binding proteins YTH03/05/10 coordinately regulate rice plant height.

N-methyladenosine (mA) is the most widely distributed and most abundant type of mRNA modification in eukaryotic. It provides a posttranscriptional level regulation of gene expression by regulating pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA degradation, or mRNA translational efficiency etc. The function of mA modification is decoded by binding proteins that can specially bind to mA.

Rice FLOURY ENDOSPERM22, encoding a pentatricopeptide repeat protein, is involved in both mitochondrial RNA splicing and editing and is crucial for endosperm development.

Most of the reported P-type pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins play roles in organelle RNA stabilization and splicing. However, P-type PPRs involved in both RNA splicing and editing have rarely been reported, and their underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report a rice floury endosperm22 (flo22) mutant with delayed amyloplast development in endosperm cells.

Fructose-6-phosphate-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase regulates energy metabolism and synthesis of storage products in developing rice endosperm.

Starch accounts for about 80-85 % of the dry weight of grains and determines yield by impact on grain weight. And, the content and composition of starch also determine appearance, eating, cooking and nutritional quality of rice. By coordinating crucial reactions of the primary carbohydrate metabolism in all eukaryotes, fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P) is a traffic signal in metabolism.

OsPHS1 is required for both male and female gamete development in rice.

Meiosis plays an essential role in the production of male and female gametes. Extensive studies have elucidated that homologous chromosome association and pairing are essential for crossing-over and recombination of chromosomal segments. However, the molecular mechanism of chromosome recognition and pairing remains elusive.

YTH Domain Proteins Play an Essential Role in Rice Growth and Stress Response.

As the most prevalent epi-transcriptional modification, mA modifications play essential roles in regulating RNA fate. The molecular functions of YTH521-B homology (YTH) domain proteins, the most known READER proteins of mA modifications, have been well-studied in animals. Although plants contain more YTH domain proteins than other eukaryotes, little is known about their biological importance.

Tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway regulates plastid-to-nucleus signaling by controlling plastid gene expression in plants.

Plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signaling coordinates nuclear gene expression with chloroplast developmental status and is essential for the photoautotrophic lifestyle of plants. Previous studies have established that tetrapyrrole biosynthesis (TPB) and plastid gene expression (PGE) play essential roles in plastid retrograde signaling during early chloroplast biogenesis; however, their functional relationship remains unknown. In this study, we generated a series of rice TPB-related gun (genome uncoupled) mutants and systematically analyzed their effects on nuclear and plastid gene expression under normal conditions or when subjected to treatments with norflurazon (NF; a noncompetitive inhibitor of carotenoid biosynthesis) and/or lincomycin (Lin; a specific inhibitor of plastid translation).

The Wheat Gene Confers Salt and Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Plants.

Wheat is one of the most widely cultivated food crops worldwide, and the safe production of wheat is essential to ensure food security. Soil salinization and drought have severely affected the yield and quality of wheat. Valine-glutamine genes play important roles in abiotic stress response.

Endomembrane-mediated storage protein trafficking in plants: Golgi-dependent or Golgi-independent?

Seed storage proteins (SSPs) accumulated within plant seeds constitute the major protein nutrition sources for human and livestock. SSPs are synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum and are then deposited in plant-specific protein bodies, including endoplasmic reticulum-derived protein bodies and protein storage vacuoles. Plant seeds have evolved a distinct endomembrane system to accomplish SSP transport.

Du13 encodes a C H zinc-finger protein that regulates Wx pre-mRNA splicing and microRNA biogenesis in rice endosperm.

Amylose content is a crucial physicochemical property responsible for the eating and cooking quality of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain and is mainly controlled by the Waxy (Wx) gene. Previous studies have identified several Dull genes that modulate the expression of the Wx allele in japonica rice by affecting the splicing efficiency of the Wx pre-mRNA.

Characterization of the wheat VQ protein family and expression of candidate genes associated with seed dormancy and germination.

Background: Seed dormancy and germination determine wheat resistance to pre-harvest sprouting and thereby affect grain yield and quality. Arabidopsis VQ genes have been shown to influence seed germination; however, the functions of wheat VQ genes have not been characterized.

Results: We identified 65 TaVQ genes in common wheat and named them TaVQ1-65.

Rice STOMATAL CYTOKINESIS DEFECTIVE2 regulates cell expansion by affecting vesicular trafficking in rice.

Vesicular trafficking plays critical roles in cell expansion in yeast and mammals, but information linking vesicular trafficking and cell expansion in plants is limited. Here, we isolated and characterized a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant, decreased plant height 1-1 (dph1-1), which exhibited a wide spectrum of developmental phenotypes, including reduced plant height and smaller panicles and grains. Cytological analysis revealed that limited cell expansion was responsible for the dph1-1 mutant phenotype compared to the wild-type.