Breeding maize of ideal plant architecture for high-density planting tolerance through modulating shade avoidance response and beyond

Maize is a major staple crop widely used as food,animal feed,and raw materials in industrial production.High-density planting is a major factor contributing to the continuous increase of maize yield.However,high planting density usually triggers a shade avoidance response and causes increased plant height and ear height,resulting in lodging and yield loss.Reduced plant height and ear height,more erect leaf angle,reduced tassel branch number,earlier flowering,and strong root system architecture are five key morphological traits required for maize adaption to high-density planting.In this review,we summarize recent advances in deciphering the genetic and molecular mechanisms of maize involved in response to high-density planting.We also discuss some strategies for breeding advanced maize cultivars with superior performance under high-density planting conditions.

Plant virology in the 21st century in China:Recent advances and future directions

Plant viruses are a group of intracellular pathogens that persistently threaten global food security.Significant advances in plant virology have been achieved by Chinese scientists over the last 20 years,including basic research and technologies for preventing and controlling plant viral diseases.Here,we review these milestones and advances,including the identification of new crop-infecting viruses,dissection of pathogenic mechanisms of multiple viruses,examination of multilayered interactions among viruses,their host plants,and virus-transmitting arthropod vectors,and in-depth interrogation of plantencoded resistance and susceptibility determinants.Notably,various plant virus-based vectors have also been successfully developed for gene function studies and target gene expression in plants.We also recommend future plant virology studies in China.

TaSRO1 interacts with TaVP1 to modulate seed dormancy and pre-harvest sprouting resistance in wheat

Dormancy is an adaptive trait which prevents seeds from germinating under unfavorable environmental conditions.Seeds with weak dormancy undergo pre-harvest sprouting(PHS)which decreases grain yield and quality.Understanding the genetic mechanisms that regulate seed dormancy and resistance to PHS is crucial for ensuring global food security.In this study,we illustrated the function and molecular mechanism of TaSRO1 in the regulation of seed dormancy and PHS resistance by suppressing TaVP1.The tasro1 mutants exhibited strong seed dormancy and enhanced resistance to PHS,whereas the mutants of tavp1 displayed weak dormancy.Genetic evidence has shown that TaVP1 is epistatic to TaSRO1.Biochemical evidence has shown that TaSRO1 interacts with TaVP1 and represses the transcriptional activation of the PHS resistance genes TaPHS1 and TaSdr.Furthermore,TaSRO1 undermines the synergistic activation of TaVP1 and TaABI5 in PHS resistance genes.Finally,we highlight the great potential of tasro1 alleles for breeding elite wheat cultivars that are resistant to PHS.

Designing salt stress-resilient crops:Current progress and future challenges

Excess soil salinity affects large regions of land and is a major hindrance to crop production worldwide.Therefore,understanding the molecular mechanisms of plant salt tolerance has scientific importance and practical significance.In recent decades,studies have characterized hundreds of genes associated with plant responses to salt stress in different plant species.These studies have substantially advanced our molecular and genetic understanding of salt tolerance in plants and have introduced an era of molecular design breeding of salt-tolerant crops.This review summarizes our current knowledge of plant salt tolerance,emphasizing advances in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of osmotic stress tolerance,salt-ion transport and compartmentalization,oxidative stress tolerance,alkaline stress tolerance,and the trade-off between growth and salt tolerance.We also examine recent advances in understanding natural variation in the salt tolerance of crops and discuss possible strategies and challenges for designing salt stress-resilient crops.We focus on the model plant Arabidopsis(Arabidopsis thaliana)and the four most-studied crops:rice(Oryza sativa),wheat(Triticum aestivum),maize(Zea mays),and soybean(Glycine max).

Knockout of a rice K5.2 gene increases Ca accumulation in the grain

Rice is a staple food for half of the world’s population,but it is a poor dietary source of calcium(Ca)due to the low concentration.It is an important issue to boost Ca concentration in this grain to improve Ca deficiency risk,but the mechanisms underlying Ca accumulation are poorly understood.Here,we obtained a rice(Oryza sativa)mutant with high shoot Ca accumulation.The mutant exhibited 26%-53% higher Ca in shoots than did wild-type rice(WT)at different Ca supplies.Ca concentration in the xylem sap was 36% higher in the mutant than in the WT.There was no difference in agronomic traits between the WT and mutant,but the mutant showed 25% higher Ca in the polished grain compared with the WT.Map-based cloning combined with a complementation test revealed that the mutant phenotype was caused by an 18-bp deletion of a gene,OsK5.2,belonging to the Shaker-like K+channel family.OsK5.2 was highly expressed in the mature region of the roots and its expression in the roots was not affected by Ca levels,but upregulated by low K.Immunostaining showed that OsK5.2 was mainly expressed in the pericycle of the roots.Taken together,our results revealed a novel role for OsK5.2 in Ca translocation in rice,and will be a good target for Ca biofortification in rice.

Temporal control of the Aux/IAA genes BnIAA32 and BnIAA34 mediates Brassica napus dual shade responses

Precise responses to changes in light quality are crucial for plant growth and development.For example,hypocotyls of shade-avoiding plants typically elongate under shade conditions.Although this typical shade-avoidance response(TSR)has been studied in Arabidopsis(Arabidopsis thaliana),the molecular mechanisms underlying shade tolerance are poorly understood.Here we report that B.napus(Brassica napus)seedlings exhibit dual shade responses.In addition to the TSR,B.napus seedlings also display an atypical shade response(ASR),with shorter hypocotyls upon perception of early-shade cues.Genome-wide selective sweep analysis indicated that ASR is associated with light and auxin signaling.Moreover,genetic studies demonstrated that phytochrome A(BnphyA)promotes ASR,whereas BnphyB inhibits it.During ASR,YUCCA8 expression is activated by early-shade cues,leading to increased auxin biosynthesis.This inhibits hypocotyl elongation,as young B.napus seedlings are highly sensitive to auxin.Notably,two non-canonical AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID(Aux/IAA)repressor genes,BnIAA32 and BnIAA34,are expressed during this early stage.BnIAA32 and BnIAA34 inhibit hypocotyl elongation under shade conditions,and mutations in BnIAA32 and BnIAA34 suppress ASR.Collectively,our study demonstrates that the temporal expression of BnIAA32 and BnIAA34 determines the behavior of B.napus seedlings following shade-induced auxin biosynthesis.

Modulation of starch synthesis in Arabidopsis via phytochrome B-mediated light signal transduction

Starch is a major storage carbohydrate in plants and is critical in crop yield and quality.Starch synthesis is intricately regulated by internal metabolic processes and external environmental cues;however,the precise molecular mechanisms governing this process remain largely unknown.In this study,we revealed that high red to far-red(high R:FR)light significantly induces the synthesis of leaf starch and the expression of synthesis-related genes,whereas low R:FR light suppress these processes.Arabidopsis phytochrome B(phyB),the primary R and FR photoreceptor,was identified as a critical positive regulator in this process.Downstream of phyB,basic leucine zipper transcription factor ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5(HY5)was found to enhance starch synthesis,whereas the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORs(PIF3,PIF4,and PIF5)inhibit starch synthesis in Arabidopsis leaves.Notably,HY5 and PIFs directly compete for binding to a shared G-box cis-element in the promoter region of genes encoding starch synthases GBSS,SS3,and SS4,which leads to antagonistic regulation of their expression and,consequently,starch synthesis.Our findings highlight the vital role of phyB in enhancing starch synthesis by stabilizing HY5 and facilitating PIFs degradation under high R:FR light conditions.Conversely,under low R:FR light,PIFs predominantly inhibit starch synthesis.This study provides insight into the physiological and molecular functions of phyB and its downstream transcription factors HY5 and PIFs in starch synthesis regulation,shedding light on the regulatory mechanism by which plants synchronize dynamic light signals with metabolic cues to module starch synthesis.

PIF4 interacts with ABI4 to serve as a transcriptional activator complex to promote seed dormancy by enhancing ABA biosynthesis and signaling

Transcriptional regulation plays a key role in the control of seed dormancy,and many transcription factors(TFs)have been documented.However,the mechanisms underlying the interactions between different TFs within a transcriptional complex regulating seed dormancy remain largely unknown.Here,we showed that TF PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR4(PIF4)physically interacted with the abscisic acid(ABA)signaling responsive TF ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE4(ABI4)to act as a transcriptional complex to promote ABA biosynthesis and signaling,finally deepening primary seed dormancy.Both pif4 and abi4 single mutants exhibited a decreased primary seed dormancy phenotype,with a synergistic effect in the pif4/abi4 double mutant.PIF4 binds to ABI4 to form a heterodimer,and ABI4 stabilizes PIF4 at the protein level,whereas PIF4 does not affect the protein stabilization of ABI4.Subsequently,both TFs independently and synergistically promoted the expression of ABI4 and NCED6,a key gene for ABA anabolism.The genetic evidence is also consistent with the phenotypic,physiological and biochemical analysis results.Altogether,this study revealed a transcriptional regulatory cascade in which the PIF4–ABI4 transcriptional activator complex synergistically enhanced seed dormancy by facilitating ABA biosynthesis and signaling.

RACK1A promotes hypocotyl elongation by scaffolding light signaling components in Arabidopsis

Plants deploy versatile scaffold proteins to intricately modulate complex cell signaling.Among these,RACK1A(Receptors for Activated C Kinase 1A)stands out as a multifaceted scaffold protein functioning as a central integrative hub for diverse signaling pathways.However,the precise mechanisms by which RACK1A orchestrates signal transduction to optimize seedling development remain largely unclear.Here,we demonstrate that RACK1A facilitates hypocotyl elongation by functioning as a flexible platform that connects multiple key components of light signaling pathways.RACK1A interacts with PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR(PIF)3,enhances PIF3 binding to the promoter of BBX11 and down-regulates its transcription.Furthermore,RACK1A associates with ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5(HY5)to repress HY5 biochemical activity toward target genes,ultimately contributing to hypocotyl elongation.In darkness,RACK1A is targeted by CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC(COP)1 upon phosphorylation and subjected to COP1-mediated degradation via the 26 S proteasome system.Our findings provide new insights into how plants utilize scaffold proteins to regulate hypocotyl elongation,ensuring proper skoto-and photo-morphogenic development.

A signaling cascade mediating fruit trait development via phosphorylation-modulated nuclear accumulation of JAZ repressor

It is generally accepted that jasmonate-ZIM domain(JAZ)repressors act to mediate jasmonate(JA)signaling via CORONATINE-INSENSITIVE1(COI1)-mediated degradation.Here,we report a cryptic signaling cascade where a JAZ repressor,FvJAZ12,mediates multiple signaling inputs via phosphorylation-modulated subcellular translocation rather than the COI1-mediated degradation mechanism in strawberry(Fragaria vesca).FvJAZ12 acts to regulate flavor metabolism and defense response,and was found to be the target of Fv MPK6,a mitogen-activated protein kinase that is capable of responding to multiple signal stimuli.FvMPK6 phosphorylates FvJAZ12 at the amino acid residues S179 and T183 adjacent to the PY residues,thereby attenuating its nuclear accumulation and relieving its repression for FvMYC2,which acts to control the expression of lipoxygenase 3(FvLOX3),an important gene involved in JA biosynthesis and a diverse array of cellular metabolisms.Our data reveal a previously unreported mechanism for JA signaling and decipher a signaling cascade that links multiple signaling inputs with fruit trait development.

The miR159a-DUO1 module regulates pollen development by modulating auxin biosynthesis and starch metabolism in citrus

Achieving seedlessness in citrus varieties is one of the important objectives of citrus breeding.Male sterility associated with abnormal pollen development is an important factor in seedlessness.However,our understanding of the regulatory mechanism underlying the seedlessness phenotype in citrus is still limited.Here,we determined that the miR159a-DUO1 module played an important role in regulating pollen development in citrus,which further indirectly modulated seed development and fruit size.Both the overexpression of csi-miR159a and the knocking out of DUO1 in Hong Kong kumquat(Fortunella hindsii)resulted in small and seedless fruit phenotypes.Moreover,pollen was severely aborted in both transgenic lines,with arrested pollen mitotic I and abnormal pollen starch metabolism.Through additional cross-pollination experiments,DUO1 was proven to be the key target gene for miR159a to regulate male sterility in citrus.Based on DNA affinity purification sequencing(DAP-seq),RNA-seq,and verified interaction assays,YUC2/YUC6,SS4 and STP8 were identified as downstream target genes of DUO1,those were all positively regulated by DUO1.In transgenic F.hindsii lines,the miR159a-DUO1 module down-regulated the expression of YUC2/YUC6,which decreased indoleacetic acid(IAA)levels and modulated auxin signaling to repress pollen mitotic I.The miR159a-DUO1 module reduced the expression of the starch synthesis gene SS4 and sugar transport gene STP8 to disrupt starch metabolism in pollen.Overall,this work reveals a new mechanism by which the miR159a-DUO1 module regulates pollen development and elucidates the molecular regulatory network underlying male sterility in citrus.

An orchestrated ethylene-gibberellin signaling cascade contributes to mesocotyl elongation and emergence of rice direct seeding

A mechanized direct seeding of rice with less labor and water usage,has been widely adopted.However,this approach requires varieties that exhibit uniform seedling emergence.Mesocotyl elongation(ME)offers the main drive of fast emergence of rice seedlings from soils;nevertheless,its genetic basis remains unknown.Here,we identify a major rice quantitative trait locus Mesocotyl Elongation1(qME1),an allele of the Green Revolution gene Semi-Dwarf1(SD1),encoding GA20-oxidase for gibberellin(GA)biosynthesis.ME1 expression is strongly induced by soil depth and ethylene.When rice grains are direct-seeded in soils,the ethylene core signaling factor OsEIL1 directly promotes ME1 transcription,accelerating bioactive GA biosynthesis.The GAs further degrade the DELLA protein SLENDER RICE 1(SLR1),alleviating its inhibition of rice PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR-LIKE13(OsPIL13)to activate the downstream expansion gene OsEXPA4 and ultimately promote rice seedling ME and emergence.The ancient traits of long mesocotyl and strong emergence ability in wild rice and landrace were gradually lost in company with the Green Revolution dwarf breeding process,and an elite ME1-R allele(D349H)is found in some modern Geng varieties(long mesocotyl lengths)in northern China,which can be used in the direct seeding and dwarf breeding of Geng varieties.Furthermore,the ectopic and high expression of ME1 driven by mesocotyl-specific promoters resulted in rice plants that could be direct-seeded without obvious plant architecture or yield penalties.Collectively,we reveal the molecular mechanism of rice ME,and provide useful information for breeding new Green Revolution varieties with long mesocotyl suitable for direct-seeding practice.

The dual-action mechanism of Arabidopsis cryptochromes

Photoreceptor cryptochromes (CRYs) mediate blue-light regulation of plant growth and development. It has been reported that Arabidopsis CRY1and CRY2 function by physically interacting with at least 84 proteins, including transcription factors or co-factors, chromatin regulators, splicing factors, messenger RNA methyltransferases, DNA repair proteins, E3 ubiquitin ligases, protein kinases and so on. Of these 84 proteins, 47 have been reported to exhibit altered binding affinity to CRYs in response to blue light, and 41 have been shown to exhibit condensation to CRY photobodies. The blue light-regulated composition or condensation of CRY complexes results in changes of gene expression and developmental programs. In this mini-review, we analyzed recent studies of the photoregulatory mechanisms of Arabidopsis CRY complexes and proposed the dual mechanisms of action, including the “Lock-and-Key” and the “Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation (LLPS)” mechanisms. The dual CRY action mechanisms explain, at least partially, the structural diversity of CRY-interacting proteins and the functional diversity of the CRY photoreceptors.

Genomic analysis of Nypa fruticans elucidates its intertidal adaptations and early palm evolution

Nypa fruticans(Wurmb),a mangrove palm species with origins dating back to the Late Cretaceous period,is a unique species for investigating long-term adaptation strategies to intertidal environments and the early evolution of palms.Here,we present a chromosome-level genome sequence and assembly for N.fruticans.We integrated the genomes of N.fruticans and other palm family members for a comparative genomic analysis,which confirmed that the common ancestor of all palms experienced a whole-genome duplication event around 89 million years ago,shaping the distinctive characteristics observed in this clade.We also inferred a low mutation rate for the N.fruticans genome,which underwent strong purifying selection and evolved slowly,thus contributing to its stability over a long evolutionary period.Moreover,ancient duplicates were preferentially retained,with critical genes having experienced positive selection,enhancing waterlogging tolerance in N.fruticans.Furthermore,we discovered that the pseudogenization of Early Methionine-labelled 1(EM1)and EM6 in N.fruticans underly its crypto-vivipary characteristics,reflecting its intertidal adaptation.Our study provides valuable genomic insights into the evolutionary history,genome stability,and adaptive evolution of the mangrove palm.Our results also shed light on the long-term adaptation of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics in the palm family.

Nuclear phylogenomics of angiosperms and insights into their relationships and evolution

Angiosperms(flowering plants) are by far the most diverse land plant group with over 300,000 species. The sudden appearance of diverse angiosperms in the fossil record was referred to by Darwin as the “abominable mystery,”hence contributing to the heightened interest in angiosperm evolution. Angiosperms display wide ranges of morphological, physiological,and ecological characters, some of which have probably influenced their species richness. The evolutionary analyses of these characteristics help to address questions of angiosperm diversification and require well resolved phylogeny. Following the great successes of phylogenetic analyses using plastid sequences,dozens to thousands of nuclear genes from next-generation sequencing have been used in angiosperm phylogenomic analyses, providing well resolved phylogenies and new insights into the evolution of angiosperms. In this review we focus on recent nuclear phylogenomic analyses of large angiosperm clades, orders, families,and subdivisions of some families and provide a summarized Nuclear Phylogenetic Tree of Angiosperm Families. The newly established nuclear phylogenetic relationships are highlighted and compared with previous phylogenetic results. The sequenced genomes of Amborella,Nymphaea, Chloranthus, Ceratophyllum, and species of monocots, Magnoliids, and basal eudicots, have facilitated the phylogenomics of relationships among five major angiosperms clades. All but one of the 64 angiosperm orders were included in nuclear phylogenomics with well resolved relationships except the placements of several orders. Most families have been included with robust and highly supported placements, especially for relationships within several large and important orders and families.Additionally, we examine the divergence time estimation and biogeographic analyses of angiosperm on the basis of the nuclear phylogenomic frameworks and discuss the differences compared with previous analyses. Furthermore,we discuss the implications of nuclear phylogenomic analyses on ancestral reconstruction of morphological, physiological, and ecological characters of angiosperm groups, limitations of current nuclear phylogenomic studies, and the taxa that require future attention.

OsNAC5 orchestrates OsABI5 to fine-tune cold tolerance in rice

Due to its tropical origins,rice(Oryza sativa)is susceptible to cold stress,which poses severe threats to production.OsNAC5,a NAC-type transcription factor,participates in the cold stress response of rice,but the detailed mechanisms remain poorly understood.Here,we demonstrate that OsNAC5 positively regulates cold tolerance at germination and in seedlings by directly activating the expression of ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 5(OsABI5).Haplotype analysis indicated that single nucleotide polymorphisms in a NAC-binding site in the OsABI5 promoter are strongly associated with cold tolerance.OsNAC5 also enhanced OsABI5 stability,thus regulating the expression of cold-responsive(COR)genes,enabling fine-tuned control of OsABI5 action for rapid,precise plant responses to cold stress.DNA affinity purification sequencing coupled with transcriptome deep sequencing identified several OsABI5 target genes involved in COR expression,including DEHYDRATION-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING FACTOR 1A(OsDREB1A),OsMYB20,and PEROXIDASE 70(OsPRX70).In vivo and in vitro analyses suggested that OsABI5 positively regulates COR gene transcription,with marked COR upregulation in OsNAC5-overexpressing lines and downregulation in osnac5 and/or osabi5 knockout mutants.This study extends our understanding of cold tolerance regulation via OsNAC5 through the OsABI5-CORs transcription module,which may be used to ameliorate cold tolerance in rice via advanced breeding.

Integrative regulatory mechanisms of stomatal movements under changing climate

Global climate change-caused drought stress,high temperatures and other extreme weather profoundly impact plant growth and development,restricting sustainable crop production.To cope with various environmental stimuli,plants can optimize the opening and closing of stomata to balance CO_(2)uptake for photosynthesis and water loss from leaves.Guard cells perceive and integrate various signals to adjust stomatal pores through turgor pressure regulation.Molecular mechanisms and signaling networks underlying the stomatal movements in response to environmental stresses have been extensively studied and elucidated.This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms of stomatal movements mediated by abscisic acid,light,CO_(2),reactive oxygen species,pathogens,temperature,and other phytohormones.We discussed the significance of elucidating the integrative mechanisms that regulate stomatal movements in helping design smart crops with enhanced water use efficiency and resilience in a climate-changing world.

Environmentally adaptive reshaping of plant photomorphogenesis by karrikin and strigolactone signaling

Coordinated morphogenic adaptation of growing plants is critical for their survival and propagation under fluctuating environments.Plant morphogenic responses to light and warm temperatures,termed photomorphogenesis and thermomorphogenesis,respectively,have been extensively studied in recent decades.During photomorphogenesis,plants actively reshape their growth and developmental patterns to cope with changes in light regimes.Accordingly,photomorphogenesis is closely associated with diverse growth hormonal cues.Notably,accumulating evidence indicates that light-directed morphogenesis is profoundly affected by two recently identified phytochemicals,karrikins(KARs)and strigolactones(SLs).KARs and SLs are structurally related butenolides acting as signaling molecules during a variety of developmental steps,including seed germination.Their receptors and signaling mediators have been identified,and associated working mechanisms have been explored using gene-deficient mutants in various plant species.Of particular interest is that the KAR and SL signaling pathways play important roles in environmental responses,among which their linkages with photomorphogenesis are most comprehensively studied during seedling establishment.In this review,we focus on how the phytochemical and light signals converge on the optimization of morphogenic fitness.We also discuss molecular mechanisms underlying the signaling crosstalks with an aim of developing potential ways to improve crop productivity under climate changes.

How plants sense and respond to osmotic stress

Drought is one of the most serious abiotic stresses to land plants.Plants sense and respond to drought stress to survive under water deficiency.Scientists have studied how plants sense drought stress,or osmotic stress caused by drought,ever since Charles Darwin,and gradually obtained clues about osmotic stress sensing and signaling in plants.Osmotic stress is a physical stimulus that triggers many physiological changes at the cellular level,including changes in turgor,cell wall stiffness and integrity,membrane tension,and cell fluid volume,and plants may sense some of these stimuli and trigger downstream responses.In this review,we emphasized water potential and movements in organisms,compared putative signal inputs in cell wall-containing and cell wall-free organisms,prospected how plants sense changes in turgor,membrane tension,and cell fluid volume under osmotic stress according to advances in plants,animals,yeasts,and bacteria,summarized multilevel biochemical and physiological signal outputs,such as plasma membrane nanodomain formation,membrane water permeability,root hydrotropism,root halotropism,Casparian strip and suberin lamellae,and finally proposed a hypothesis that osmotic stress responses are likely to be a cocktail of signaling mediated by multiple osmosensors.We also discussed the core scientific questions,provided perspective about the future directions in this field,and highlighted the importance of robust and smart root systems and efficient source-sink allocations for generating future high-yield stress-resistant crops and plants.

Sporophytic control of tapetal development and pollen fertility by a mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in rice

Tapetum,the innermost layer of the anther wall,provides essential nutrients and materials for pollen development.Timely degradation of anther tapetal cells is a prerequisite for normal pollen development in flowering plants.Tapetal cells facilitate male gametogenesis by providing cellular contents after highly coordinated programmed cell death(PCD).Tapetal development is regulated by a transcriptional network.However,the signaling pathway(s)involved in this process are poorly understood.In this study,we report that a mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)cascade composed of OsYDA1/OsYDA2-OsMKK4-OsMPK6 plays an important role in tapetal development and male gametophyte fertility.Loss of function of this MAPK cascade leads to anther indehiscence,enlarged tapetum,and aborted pollen grains.Tapetal cells in osmkk4 and osmpk6 mutants exhibit an increased presence of lipid body-like structures within the cytoplasm,which is accompanied by a delayed occurrence of PCD.Expression of a constitutively active version of OsMPK6(CA-OsMPK6)can rescue the pollen defects in osmkk4 mutants,confirming that OsMPK6 functions downstream of OsMKK4 in this pathway.Genetic crosses also demonstrated that the MAPK cascade sporophyticly regulates pollen development.Our study reveals a novel function of rice MAPK cascade in plant male reproductive biology.