The auxin transporter OsAUX1 regulates tillering in rice(Oryza sativa)

Tillering is an important agronomic trait of rice(Oryza sativa)that affects the number of effective panicles,thereby affecting yields.The phytohormone auxin plays a key role in tillering.Here we identified the high tillering and semi-dwarf 1(htsd1)mutant with auxin-deficiency root characteristics,such as shortened lateral roots,reduced lateral root density,and enlarged root angles.htsd1 showed reduced sensitivity to auxin,but the external application of indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)inhibited its tillering.We identified the mutated gene in htsd1 as AUXIN1(OsAUX1,LOC_Os01g63770),which encodes an auxin influx transporter.The promoter sequence of OsAUX1 contains many SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE(SPL)binding sites,and we demonstrated that SPL7 binds to the OsAUX1 promoter.TEOSINTE BRANCHED1(OsTB1),a key gene that negatively regulates tillering,was significantly downregulated in htsd1.Tillering was enhanced in the OsTB1 knockout mutant,and the external application of IAA inhibited tiller elongation in this mutant.Overexpressing OsTB1 restored the multi-tiller phenotype of htsd1.These results suggest that SPL7 directly binds to the OsAUX1 promoter and regulates tillering in rice by altering OsTB1 expression to modulate auxin signaling.

FGW1, a protein containing DUF630 and DUF632 domains, regulates grain size and filling in Oryza sativa L.

Grain filling influences grain size and quality in cereal crops. The molecular mechanisms that regulate grain endosperm development remain elusive. In this study, we characterized a filling-defective and grain width mutant, fgw1, whose mutation increased rice seed width mainly via cell division and expansion in grains. Sucrose contents were higher but starch contents lower in the fgw1 mutant during the grainfilling stage, resulting in inferior endosperm of opaque, white appearance with loosely packed starch granules. Map-based cloning revealed that FGW1 encoded a protein containing DUF630/DUF632domains, localized in the plasma membrane with preferential expression in the panicle. RNA interference in FGW1 resulted in increased grain width and weight, whereas overexpression of FGW1 led to slightly narrower kernels and better grain filling. In a yeast two-hybrid assay, FGW1 interacted directly with the 14–3–3 protein GF14f, bimolecular fluorescence complementation verified that the site of interaction was the membrane, and the mutated FGW1 protein failed to interact with GF14f. The expression of GF14f was down-regulated in fgw1, and the activities of AGPase, StSase, and SuSase in the endosperm of fgw1increased similarly to those of a reported GF14f-RNAi. Transcriptome analysis indicated that FGW1 also regulates cellular processes and carbohydrate metabolism. Thus, FGW1 regulated grain formation via the GF14f pathway.

Prediction of Restriction Width of Carcass by Belts for Radial Tires :Theory, Experiment and Simulation

The restriction width of carcass by the belts( RWCB) as an important parameter of radial tire design has been neglected for a long time. In order to improve the accuracy and efficiency of tire profile design,the calculating method of RWCB is proposed. The equilibrium profile is calculated by geometric model and variational approach,based on it,the predicted model of RWCB is developed for tire design. Finally,four different designs of 12R22.5 tires are investigated by experiment and finite element method,which is used to validate the accuracy of the theoretical method. Results indicate that experimental and finite element analysis results are found to be in good agreement with theoretical results; linear relationships are existed between the cord length and RWCB,and also existed between the position of belt and RWCB; tires designed by the methods have smaller and more uniform displacement,so the method can be used for tire optimized design.