title: Regulation of OsGRF4 by OsmiR396 controls grain size and yield in rice.
abstract: An increase in grain yield is crucial for modern agriculture(1). Grain size is one of the key components of grain yield in rice and is regulated by quantitative trait loci (QTLs)(2,3). Exploring new QTLs for grain size will help breeders develop elite rice varieties with higher yields(3,4). Here, we report a new semi-dominant QTL for grain size and weight (GS2) in rice, which encodes the transcription factor OsGRF4 (GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR 4) and is regulated by OsmiR396. We demonstrate that a 2 bp substitution mutation in GS2 perturbs OsmiR396-directed regulation of GS2, resulting in large and heavy grains and increased grain yield. Further results reveal that GS2 interacts with the transcription coactivitors OsGIF1/2/3, and overexpression of OsGIF1 increases grain size and weight. Thus, our findings define the regulatory mechanism of GS2, OsGIFs and OsmiR396 in grain size and weight control, suggesting this pathway could be used to increase yields in crops.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Penggen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Shen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Institute of Crop Science and Nuclear Technology Utilization, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Junmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Baolan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Yuexing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Hongqi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Yunhai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D010940:Plant Proteins