title: A Rare Allele of GS2 Enhances Grain Size and Grain Yield in Rice.
abstract: Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, grain size on chromosome 2 (GS2), which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), a transcriptional regulator. GS2 localizes to the nucleus and may act as a transcription activator. A rare mutation of GS2 affecting the binding site of a microRNA, OsmiR396c, causes elevated expression of GS2/OsGRF4. The increase in GS2 expression leads to larger cells and increased numbers of cells, which thus enhances grain weight and yield. The introduction of this rare allele of GS2/OsGRF4 into rice cultivars could significantly enhance grain weight and increase grain yield, with possible applications in breeding high-yield rice varieties.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Yuexing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Yunxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China.
authors.forename: Longjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Zhenyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Jiangjie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China.
authors.forename: Shujing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Longbiao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Dali
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Guangheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China.
authors.forename: Guosheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Jiayang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China. Electronic address: qianqian188@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qian
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: GS2; OsGRF4; QTL; grain size; miR396c; rice