Reproductive transition of grasses is characterized by switching the pattern of lateral branches,featuring the suppression of outgrowth of the subtending leaves(bracts)and rapid formation of higher-order branches in t...Reproductive transition of grasses is characterized by switching the pattern of lateral branches,featuring the suppression of outgrowth of the subtending leaves(bracts)and rapid formation of higher-order branches in the inflorescence(panicle).However,the molecular mechanisms underlying such changes remain largely unknown.Here,we show that bract suppression is required for the reproductive branching in rice.We identified a pathway involving the intrinsic time ruler microRNAI56/529,their targets SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE(SPL)genes,NECK LEAF1(NL1),and PLASTOCHRON1(PLA1),which regulates the bract outgrowth and thus affects the pattern switch between vegetative and reproductive branching.Suppression of the bract results in global reprogramming of transcriptome and chromatin accessibility following the reproductive transition,while these processes are largely dysregu-lated in the mutants of these genes.These discoveries contribute to our understanding of the dynamic plant architecture and provide novel insights for improving crop yields.展开更多
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0100903)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31600983 and 31821005)+1 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2017T100564 and 2016M590699)the Earmarked Fund for the China Agricultural Research System(CARS-01-05).
文摘Reproductive transition of grasses is characterized by switching the pattern of lateral branches,featuring the suppression of outgrowth of the subtending leaves(bracts)and rapid formation of higher-order branches in the inflorescence(panicle).However,the molecular mechanisms underlying such changes remain largely unknown.Here,we show that bract suppression is required for the reproductive branching in rice.We identified a pathway involving the intrinsic time ruler microRNAI56/529,their targets SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE(SPL)genes,NECK LEAF1(NL1),and PLASTOCHRON1(PLA1),which regulates the bract outgrowth and thus affects the pattern switch between vegetative and reproductive branching.Suppression of the bract results in global reprogramming of transcriptome and chromatin accessibility following the reproductive transition,while these processes are largely dysregu-lated in the mutants of these genes.These discoveries contribute to our understanding of the dynamic plant architecture and provide novel insights for improving crop yields.