Young Leaf Chlorosis 1, a chloroplast-localized gene required for chlorophyll and lutein accumulation during early leaf development in rice.
Chlorophyll (Chl) and lutein are the two most abundant and essential components in photosynthetic apparatus, and play critical roles in plant development. In this study, we characterized a rice mutant named young leaf chlorosis 1 (ylc1) from a ⁶⁰Co-irradiated population. Young leaves of the ylc1 mutant showed decreased levels of Chl and lutein compared to those of wild type, and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the thylakoid lamellar structures were obviously loosely arranged. Whereas, the mutant turns green gradually and approaches normal green at the maximum tillering stage. The Young Leaf Chlorosis 1 (YLC1) gene was isolated via map-based cloning and identified to encode a protein of unknown function belonging to the DUF3353 superfamily. Complementation and RNA-interference tests confirmed the role of the YLC1 gene, which expressed in all tested rice tissues, especially in the leaves. Real-time PCR analyses showed that the expression levels of the genes associated with Chl biosynthesis and photosynthesis were affected in ylc1 mutant at different temperatures. In rice protoplasts, the YLC1 protein displayed a typical chloroplast location pattern. The N-terminal 50 amino acid residues were confirmed to be necessary and sufficient for chloroplast targeting. These data suggested that the YLC1 protein may be involved in Chl and lutein accumulation and chloroplast development at early leaf development in rice.
National Key Laboratory for Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Plant Gene Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Kunneng
K
Zhou
Yulong
Y
Ren
Jia
J
Lv
Yihua
Y
Wang
Feng
F
Liu
Feng
F
Zhou
Shaolu
S
Zhao
Saihua
S
Chen
Cheng
C
Peng
Xin
X
Zhang
Xiuping
X
Guo
Zhijun
Z
Cheng
Jiulin
J
Wang
Fuqing
F
Wu
Ling
L
Jiang
Jianmin
J
Wan
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism*; D060365:Chloroplast Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014975:Lutein / Q000378:metabolism*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D020524:Thylakoids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D060365:Chloroplast Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D002734:Chlorophyll; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D014975:Lutein