title: VRS2 regulates hormone-mediated inflorescence patterning in barley.
abstract: Plant architecture has clear agronomic and economic implications for crops such as wheat and barley, as it is a critical factor for determining grain yield. Despite this, only limited molecular information is available about how grain-bearing inflorescences, called spikes, are formed and maintain their regular, distichous pattern. Here we elucidate the molecular and hormonal role of Six-rowed spike 2 (Vrs2), which encodes a SHORT INTERNODES (SHI) transcriptional regulator during barley inflorescence and shoot development. We show that Vrs2 is specifically involved in floral organ patterning and phase duration by maintaining hormonal homeostasis and gradients during normal spike development and similarly influences plant stature traits. Furthermore, we establish a link between the SHI protein family and sucrose metabolism during organ growth and development that may have implications for deeper molecular insights into inflorescence and plant architecture in crops.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.|Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: Helmy M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eggert
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koppolu
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0436-9724
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Alqudah
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Naser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Poursarebani
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3504-8181
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fazeli
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.|Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tagiri
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Twan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rutten
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.|Reliance R&D Centre, Reliance Corporate Park, Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Geetha
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0450-0814
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Govind
authors.affiliation: Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen), Alnarp, Sweden.
authors.forename: Udda
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lundqvist
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Graner
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komatsuda
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.|International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Grain Quality and Nutrition Center, Metro Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Nese
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3998-038X
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sreenivasulu
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schnurbusch
mesh_terms: D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D001467:Hordeum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D056626:Inflorescence / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D018519:Meristem / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D010641:Phenotype; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins