title: Grain number, plant height, and heading date7 is a central regulator of growth, development, and stress response.
abstract: Grain number, plant height, and heading date7 (Ghd7) has been regarded as an important regulator of heading date and yield potential in rice (Oryza sativa). In this study, we investigated functions of Ghd7 in rice growth, development, and environmental response. As a long-day dependent negative regulator of heading date, the degree of phenotypic effect of Ghd7 on heading date and yield traits is quantitatively related to the transcript level and is also influenced by both environmental conditions and genetic backgrounds. Ghd7 regulates yield traits through modulating panicle branching independent of heading date. Ghd7 also regulates plasticity of tiller branching by mediating the PHYTOCHROME B-TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 pathway. Drought, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and high-temperature stress strongly repressed Ghd7 expression, whereas low temperature enhanced Ghd7 expression. Overexpression of Ghd7 increased drought sensitivity, whereas knock-down of Ghd7 enhanced drought tolerance. Gene chip analysis of expression profiles revealed that Ghd7 was involved in the regulation of multiple processes, including flowering time, hormone metabolism, and biotic and abiotic stresses. This study suggests that Ghd7 functions to integrate the dynamic environmental inputs with phase transition, architecture regulation, and stress response to maximize the reproductive success of the rice plant.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Center of Plant Gene Research , Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Caiguo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yongzhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Xianghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jinghua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Qifa
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D055864:Droughts; D004777:Environment; D018628:Gene Dosage / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D058685:Genetic Pleiotropy; D005838:Genotype; D006706:Homeostasis; D008954:Models, Biological; D012275:Oryza / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051939:Phytochrome B / Q000378:metabolism; D063245:Plant Development / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051939:Phytochrome B