J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2021, Vol. 63 ›› Issue (12): 2031-2037.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13198

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ZmGRAS11, transactivated by Opaque2, positively regulates kernel size in maize

Ye Li1,2†, Shuai Ma1†, Qianqian Zhao1, Di Lv1, Baobao Wang1, Ke Xiao1,3, Jiameng Zhu1,4, Suzhen Li1, Wenzhu Yang1, Xiaoqing Liu1, Haiyang Wang5, Xiaojin Zhou1* and Rumei Chen1*   

  1. 1 Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    2 Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Chemical and Biological Processing Technology, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
    3 Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
    4 National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
    5 College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

    These authors contributed equally to this work.
    *Correspondences: Xiaojin Zhou (zhouxiaojin@caas.cn); Rumei Chen (chenrumei@caas.cn, Dr. Chen is fully responsible for the distribution of the materials associated with this article)
  • Received:2021-07-31 Accepted:2021-11-30 Online:2021-11-30 Published:2021-12-01

Abstract: Although the genetic basis for endosperm development in maize (Zea mays) has been well studied, the mechanism for coordinating grain filling with increasing kernel size remains elusive. Here, we report that increased kernel size was selected during modern breeding and identify a novel DELLA-like transcriptional regulator, ZmGRAS11, which positively regulates kernel size and kernel weight in maize. We find that Opaque2, a core transcription factor for zein protein and starch accumulation, transactivates the expression of ZmGRAS11. Our data suggest that the Opaque2-ZmGRAS11 module mediates synergistic endosperm enlargement with grain filling.

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