J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2020, Vol. 62 ›› Issue (6): 847-864.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.12851

Special Issue: Development

• Molecular Physiology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The rice PLATZ protein SHORT GRAIN6 determines grain size by regulating spikelet hull cell division

Shi-Rong Zhou1,2 and Hong-Wei Xue1,3*   

  1. 1National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
    2State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Plant Gene Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    3School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

    *Correspondence:
    Email: Hongwei Xue (hwxue@sibs.ac.cn)
  • Received:2019-04-17 Accepted:2019-06-13 Online:2019-06-17 Published:2020-06-01

Abstract:

Grain size is a major determinant of cereal grain yields; however, the relevant regulatory mechanisms controlling this trait have not been fully elucidated. The rice (Oryza sativa ) mutant short grain6 (sg6 ) was identified based on its reduced grain length and weight. Here, we functionally characterized the role of SG6 in determining grain size through the regulation of spikelet hull cell division. SG6 encodes a previously uncharacterized plant AT‐rich sequence and zinc‐binding (PLATZ) protein that is ubiquitously localized throughout the cell and is preferentially expressed in the early developing panicles but not in the endosperm. The overexpression of SG6 resulted in significantly larger and heavier grains, as well as increased plant heights, which is consistent with its elevated spikelet hull cell division rate. Yeast two‐hybrid analyses revealed that SG6 interacts with the core cell cycle machinery DP protein and several other putative cell division regulators, consistent with our transcriptomic analysis, which showed that SG6 activates the expression of many DNA replication and cell‐cycle‐related genes. These results confirm the crucial role of SG6 in determining grain size by regulating spikelet hull cell division and provide clues for understanding the functions of PLATZ family proteins and the network regulating cereal grain size.

Editorial Office, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, Institute of Botany, CAS
No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China
Tel: +86 10 6283 6133 Fax: +86 10 8259 2636 E-mail: jipb@ibcas.ac.cn
Copyright © 2022 by the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Online ISSN: 1744-7909 Print ISSN: 1672-9072 CN: 11-5067/Q
备案号:京ICP备16067583号-22