通过抑制水稻miR168改良产量、抗性和生育期

Suppression of Rice miR168 Improves Yield,Flowering Time and Immunity

【目的】作物产量、生育期和抗性是生产中的3个关键因素。提高抗性往往影响产量,而高产往往伴随更长的生育期。发掘能协调这3个因素的基因,对作物高产抗病研究和育种具有重大意义。【方法】利用遗传、生化和植物病理学等技术手段,对水稻miR168调控水稻产量、生育期和抗性的功能和相关机制进行了分析。【结果】过表达miR168导致稻瘟病抗性降低,植株变高,分蘖减少,产量降低,开花延迟;而表达miR168的一个模拟靶标(target mimic,MIM168)从而抑制miR168的功能后,稻瘟病抗性增强,植株变矮,分蘖和产量增加,花期提前。发现miR168影响整个miRNA网络,通过miR1320调控稻瘟病抗性,通过miR535平衡分蘖发育和稻瘟病抗性,通过miR164控制开花时间和稻瘟病抗性。相关研究成果以"Suppression of rice miR168 improves yield,flowering time and immunity"为题于2021年2月发表在国际期刊Nature Plants(doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00852-x)。【结论】成果揭示了单个miRNA可协同调控水稻产量、生育期和稻瘟病抗性。相关研究成果为水稻高产高抗病育种提供了备选基因资源。

【Objective】Yield,flowering time,and disease resistance are key factors in rice production.However,the presence of disease resistance gene can penalize crop yield. Looking for genes that can coordinate the three factors is helpful for rice immunity research and breeding.【Method】We adopt various techniques in genetics,biochemistry,and plant pathology to dissect the function and mechanism of miR168 in rice yield,growth period and blast disease resistance.【Result】Our results demonstrate that suppression of miR168 by a target mimic(MIM168) not only improves grain yield and shortens flowering time in rice,but also enhances immunity to M. oryzae. These results were validated through repeated tests in rice fields in the absence and presence of rice blast pressure. We found that miR168-AGO1 module regulates miR535 to improve yield by increasing panicle number,miR164 to reduce flowering time,and miR1320 and miR164 to enhance immunity. The related results were Published on Nature Plants in February,2021 with the title"Suppression of rice miR168 improves yield,flowering time and immunity"(doi. org/10. 1038/s41477-021-00852-x).【Conclusion】Our discovery demonstrated that changes in a single miRNA enhance the expression of multiple agronomically important traits.