Identification and fine mapping of lemma-distortion1, a single recessive gene playing an essential role in the development of lemma in rice

• Published in: The Journal of agricultural science Vol. 154; no. 6; pp. 989 - 1001
• Main Authors: YANG, D. W., YE, X. F., ZHENG, X. H., CHENG, C. P., YE, N., LU, L. B., HUANG, F. H., LI, Q. Q.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.08.2016
• Subjects: Amino acids; arginine; Artificial chromosomes; Corn; Crop yield; Crops and Soils Research Papers; cysteine; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Electron microscopes; florets; flowering; Flowers & plants; Genes; Grasses; Morphology; mutants; Mutation; Oryza; phenotype; Phenotypes; phylogeny; Plant reproduction; Polymerase chain reaction; recessive genes; Rice; Seeds; sequence analysis; zinc finger motif; Fujian China; United States > US; China
• ISSN: 0021-8596; 1469-5146; 1469-5146
• DOI: 10.1017/S0021859615000866

Floral organ development influences plant reproduction and crop yield. The mechanism of floral organ specification is generally conserved in angiosperms as demonstrated by the ‘ABC’ model. However, mechanisms underlying the development of floral organs in specific groups of species such as grasses remain unclear. In the genus Oryza (rice), a spikelet consists of a fertile floret sub-tended by a lemma, a palea, two sterile lemmas and rudimentary glumes. To understand how the lemma is formed, a curve-shaped lemma-distortion1 (ld1) mutant was identified. Genetic analysis confirmed that the ld1 mutant phenotype was due to a single recessive gene mutation. Using a large F 2 population, the LD1 gene was mapped between markers Indel-7-15 and Indel-7-18, which encompassed a region of 15·6 kilo base pairs (kbp). According to rice genome annotations, two putative genes, LOC_Os07g32510 and LOC_Os07g32520, were located in this candidate region. However, DNA sequencing results indicated only 1 base pair (bp) substitution (T⇨C) was found in LOC_Os07g32510 between the wild-type and the ld1 mutant. Thus LOC_Os07g32510, encoding a DNA binding with one zinc finger (DoF) containing protein, was the candidate gene for LD1. Further analysis showed that mutation of the amino acid cysteine (C) to arginine (R) was likely to lead to zinc finger protein deactivation. Phylogenetic and conservation analysis of the gene from different species revealed that cysteine was critical to LD1 function. As a new gene controlling lemma development, the study of LD1 could provide insights into rice floral organ formation mechanisms.