title: Teosinte Branched 1 modulates tillering in rice plants.
abstract: Tillering is an important trait of cereal crops that optimizes plant architecture for maximum yield. Teosinte Branched 1 (TB1) is a negative regulator of lateral branching and an inducer of female inflorescence formation in Zea mays (maize). Recent studies indicate that TB1 homologs in Oryza sativa (rice), Sorghum bicolor and Arabidopsis                         thaliana act downstream of the auxin and MORE AUXILIARY GROWTH (MAX) pathways. However, the molecular mechanism by which rice produces tillers remains unknown. In this study, transgenic rice plants were produced that overexpress the maize TB1 (mTB1) or rice TB1 (OsTB1) genes and silence the OsTB1 gene through RNAi-mediated knockdown. Because lateral branching in rice is affected by the environmental conditions, the phenotypes of transgenic plants were observed in both the greenhouse and the paddy field. Compared to wild-type plants, the number of tillers and panicles was reduced and increased in overexpressed and RNAi-mediated knockdown OsTB1 rice plants, respectively, under both environmental conditions. However, the effect was small for plants grown in paddy fields. These results demonstrate that both mTB1 and OsTB1 moderately regulate the tiller development in rice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Science, Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Seon
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Mi-Ok
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Eun-Byeol
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Joohyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae-Ho
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: Hak Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Hee-Jong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; C105292:TB1 protein, Zea mays