Cloning and genetic transformation of a novel rice gene OsAPT2

A novel rice gene OsAPT2,which encodes a putative adenine phosphoribosyl transferase(APRT),was cloned.Its full-length cDNA is 1125bp,composing an ORF encoding 212 amino acid residues and a stop cordon,a 5' UTR of 123 bp and a 3' UTR of 363 bp.The sequence data have been submitted to the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases(accession number:AY238894).The deduced amino acid sequence of OsAPT2 is highly homologous to those of previously reported APRTs.The genomic OsAPT2 gene contains 7 exons and 6 introns.Its total length is 4758 bp.Then,an antisense expression vector of the full-length OsAPT2 cDNA was constructed and transformed into rice variety Taibei309 by Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation method.In total,650 T0 transgenic plants were obtained based on both antibiotic screening and specific PCR identification.One hundred individuals of them were selected and planted in Hainan Island.From those 11 male sterile lines with seed-setting rate lower than 3% in bagged spike were obtained.Results suggest that OsAPT2 is involved in male sterility.Nine of the 11 male sterile lines were constitutive sterile lines;two of the 11 male sterile lines were thermo-sensitive genic male sterile lines,which may be useful in hybride rice breeding.

The Prediction of Rice Gene by Fgenesh

This study has been carried out to give some scientific reasons for genome annotation, shorten the annotating time, and improve the results of gene prediction. Taking the sequence of the 6th chromosome, which has more length sequences than others, of Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica cv. Nipponbare as analysis data in this research, the gene prediction of monocots module, rice, has been done by using Fgenesh ver. 2.0, and the predicting results have been explored particularly by bioinformatics methods. Results showed that the number of predicted genes for this chromosome was very close to the number of TIGR annotated genes. The majority of the predicted genes were multi-exon genes which had a percentage of 77.52. Length range was very big in the predicted genes. According to the significant match number, multi-exon genes can be predicted more veracity than single exon genes and the support can be reached up to 100% by TIGR annotation and up to 78% by cDNA. From the angle of predicted exons location of multi-exon genes, the internal exons and last exons had a high support of cDNA. The length of internal exons was relatively short in high （〉95% length, 〉78% similarity） cDNA and/or TIGR annotation support multi-exon genes, but the first exons and last exons were on the reverse. The majority of single exon genes which had more than 95% in length, and 78% in similarity support by cDNA and/or TIGR annotation was relatively short in length. From the angle of exon number, the majority of the multi-exon genes of high （〉 95% length, 〉 78% similarity） cDNA and/or TIGR annotation support had no more than 5 exon number. It was concluded that the rice gene prediction by Fgenesh was very good but needed modification manually to some extent according to cDNA support after aligning the predicting sequence of genes with cDNA database of rice.

Shaping Taste: The Molecular Discovery of Rice Genes Improving Grain Size, Shape and Quality

Modern-day human life is absolutely dependent upon the food that we derive from our crop plants. We eat grains, fruits, roots, tubers and other structures, all of which are constructed via coordinated organ growth. Whilst plant organ identity is first established in apical meristems （vegetative and floral shoot meristems and root meristems）, and in other meristematic regions, the final size and shape of organs are defined by subsequent coordination of organ expansion in longitudinal and transverse axes.

Cluster Analysis on the Nucleotide Sequences of Six Genes in Rice

[ Objective] This study aimed to construct four-dimensional graphics of nucleotide sequences of six genes in rice （ GluB-6, GtuB-7, PDIL2, OsMPK1, OsCATC, OsCATA） and to conduct phase-space clustering, thus demonstrating the relationship between the structure and function of rice genes. [ Method ] Base sequences were represented by four-dimensional graphics and clustered in the phase space. The relationship between clustering results and biological characteristics of these genes were analyzed. [ Result] Genes with similar four-dimensional graphics exhibit similar biological characteristics. [ Conclusion] Four-dimensional graphics of genes with different functions and base lengths present phase-space relationship with their biological functions, which provided an effective way for the prediction of gene function.

Research Progress on Functional Analysis of Rice WRKY Genes

Rice is a model plant for genomic study of grass species. Functional identification and definition of rice genes becomes the object of its functional genomics research. WRKY gene superfamily, one of the transcription factor gene families, was recently suggested to play important roles in plant development and stress response. In rice, the results of analyses of expression pattern and ectopic overexpressor lines also support this viewpoint, and the evidences implicate rice WRKY proteins in transcriptional reprogramming during biotic or abiotic stresses, senescence, sugar metabolites, and morphological architecture. In this paper, we review the advance in study of rice WRKY gene family and also propose unified nomenclature for rice WRKY factors to eliminate confusion.

Characterizations and identification of the candidate gene of rice thermo-sensitive genic male sterile gene tms5 by mapping

Previous study indicated that the thermo-sensitive genic malesterile(TGMS) gene in rice was regulated by temperature.TGMS rice plays an important role in hybrid rice production,because the application of the TGMS system in two-line breeding is laborsaving,timesaving,simple,inexpensive,efficient,and eliminating the limitations of the cytoplasmic male sterility(CMS) system.'AnnongS' is the first discovered and deeply studied TGMS rice lines in China.'AnnongS-1' and 'Y58S',two derivatives of TGMS line AnnongS,were both controlled by a single recessive gene named tms5,which was genetically mapped on chromosome 2.In this study,three populations('AnnongS-1' × 'Nanjing11','Y58S' × 'Q611',and 'Y58S' × 'Guanghui122') were developed and used for the molecular fine mapping of the tms5 gene.By analyzing recombination events in the sterile individuals using a total of 125 probes covering the tms5 region,the tms5 gene was physically mapped to a 19-kb DNA fragment between two markers 4039-1 and 4039-2,which were located on the BAC clone AP004039.After the construction of the physical map between two markers 4039-1 and 4039-2,a member(ONAC023) of the NAC(NAM-ATAF-CUC-related) gene family was identified as the candidate gene of the tms5 gene.

Transferring Translucent Endosperm Mutant Gene Wx-mq and Rice Stripe Disease Resistance Gene Stv-bi by Marker-Assisted Selection in Rice (Oryza sativa)

A high-yielding japonica rice variety, Wuyunjing 7, bred in Jiangsu Province, China as a female parent was crossed with a Japanese rice variety Kantou 194, which carries a rice stripe disease resistance gene Stv-b＇ and a translucent endosperm mutant gene Wx-mq. From F2 generations, a sequence characterized amplified region （SCAR） marker tightly linked with Stv-b＇ and a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence （CAPS） marker for Wx-mq were used for marker-assisted selection. Finally, a new japonica rice line, Ning 9108, with excellent agronomic traits was obtained by multi-generational selection on stripe disease resistance and endosperm appearance. The utilization of the markers from genes related to rice quality and disease resistance was helpful not only for establishing a marker-assisted selection system of high-quality and disease resistance for rice but also for providing important intermediate materials and rapid selection method for good quality, disease resistance and high yield in rice breeding.

Genetic Transformation of Rice with Pi-d2 Gene Enhances Resistance to Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The gene Pi-d2, conferring gene-for-gene resistance to the Chinese blast strain ZB15, was isolated from a rice variety （Digu） by the map-based cloning strategy. Here, we constructed a control plasmid pZH01-pi-d2tp309 （pZH01-tp309） and three different expression constructs, pCB-Pi-d25.3kb （pCB5.3kb）, pCB-Pi-d26.3kb （pCB6.3kb） and pZH01-Pi-d22.72kb （pZH01-2.72kb） of Pi-d2, driven by Pi-d2 gene’s own promoter or CaMV35S promoter. These constructs were separately introduced into japonica rice varieties Lijiangxintuanhegu, Taipei 309, Nipponbare and Zhonghua 9 through Agrobacterium- mediated transformation. A total of 150 transgenic rice plants were obtained from the regenerated calli selected on hygromycin. PCR, RT-PCR and Southern-blotting assay showed that the gene of interest had been integrated into rice genome and stably inherited. Thirty-five transgenic lines independently derived from T1 progeny were inoculated with the rice blast strain ZB15. Transformants exhibited resistance to rice blast at various levels. The lesions on the transgenic plant leaves were less severe than those on the controls and the resistance level of transgenic plants harboring the gene of interest from three vectors had no difference. The own promoter of Pi-d2, about 2.2 kb or 3.2 kb, had the similar promoter function as CaMV35S. Field evaluation for three successive years supported the results of artificial trial, and some lines with high resistance to rice leaf blast and neck blast were obtained.

Analysis of Resistant Spectrum to Rice Blast in Transgenic Rice Lines Introduced Lysozyme Gene from T4 Phage

The receptor cultivar Nan29 and thirty-six T5 rice lines derived from ten T0 generation transgen-ic plants harboring lysozyme gene were challenged in the greenhouse by inoculating 63 isolates belonging to 48 races of Magnaporthe grisea from Yunnan Province. The transgenic rice lines exhibited resistance to more than 72% of isolates inoculated in this experiment, and 38.1% (24 isolates) of them could infect the receptor cultivar Nan29. The results indicated that the transgenic rice lines possessed wide-spectrum resistance against various rice blast races and the resistant spectrum of rice lines were different although some lines derived from same T0 plant. The transgenic rice lines exhibited also high resistance to leaf and neck blast in the disease field evaluation, but not all of resistant lines against leaf blast were resistant to neck blast.

Molecular Improvement of Grain Weight and Yield in Rice by Using GW6 Gene

Molecular design breeding is one of straightforward approaches to break yield barriers in rice. In this study, GW6 gene for grain length and width from Baodali was transferred into an indica recurrent parent 9311 and a japonica variety Zhonghua 11 （ZH11） using marker-assisted backcross （MAB）. One and three introgression lines were selected for phenotypic analysis from 9311 and ZH11 genetic backgrounds, respectively. SSL-1, an improved 9311 near isogenic line with GW6 performed 11%, 19% and 6.7%higher of grain length, 1000-grain weight and single plant yield, respectively, as compared with 9311. All the three improved ZH11-GW6 lines, R1, R2 and R3, had more than 30% increase in grain weight and about 7%higher in grain yield. Seed plumpness of R1, R2 and R3 was improved synchronously because the three ZH11-GW6 lines contained GIF1 （Grain Incomplete Filling 1）, a dominant grain filling gene. Thus, GW6 has high potential in increasing the yield of inbred lines through MAB, making it an important genetic resource in super hybrid rice breeding. This study provides insights in the utilization of GW6 for large grain and high yield rice breeding via molecular design breeding.

Molecular Variation and Application from Aerospace Mutagenesis in Upland Rice Huhan 3 and Huhan 7

To further improve upland rice varieties Huhan 3 and Huhan 7, seed samples were sent to outer space with two recoverable spaceships for approximately 1 and 5 d and were propagated for 7 and 5 generations, respectively. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the morphological traits and the protein and amylose contents of grains changed. Characterization of genomic mutations by the gene-associated simple sequence repeat （SSR） and insertion-delete （InDel） markers indicated that the mutation pattern was very complex. Most of the mutations occurred at the 3＇- or 5＇-end of the fragments in the simple sequence repeat fragment. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） assay showed that mutations in those parts of the SSR affected their gene expression, indicating that gene associated markers would be helpful to isolate functional genes. Field survey for breeding also revealed that more lines with high yield, high quality and drought-tolerance could be selected through aerospace breeding. The results indicate that aerospace mutagenesis resulted in molecular variation, as well as physiological and morphological changes for rice breeding.

Targeted mutagenesis of amino acid transporter genes for rice quality improvement using the CRISPR/Cas9 system

High grain protein content(GPC) reduces rice eating and cooking quality(ECQ). We generated OsAAP6 and OsAAP10 knockout mutants in three high-yielding japonica varieties and one japonica line using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Mutation efficiency varied with genetic background in the T_0 generation, and GPC in the T_1 generation decreased significantly,owing mainly to a reduction in glutelin content. Amylose content was down-regulated significantly in some Osaap6 and all Osaap10 mutants. The increased taste value of these mutants was supported by Rapid Visco Analysis(RVA) profiles, which showed higher peak viscosity and breakdown viscosity and lower setback viscosity than the wild type. There were no significant deficiencies in agronomic traits of the mutants. Targeted mutagenesis of OsAAP6 and OsAAP10, especially OsAAP10, using the CRISPR/Cas9 system can rapidly reduce GPC and improve ECQ of rice, providing a new strategy for the breeding cultivars with desired ECQ.

Spacer Length Variation in Rice 5SrRNA Genes Revealed by Polymerase Chain Reaction

Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was used to amplify 5S rRNA spacer from wild rice(Oryza rufipogon and O.nivara) and cultivated rice(indica and japonica varieties of O.sativa L).The results show that there is spacer length variation within and between species,and the typical indica and japonica varieties have their unique banding patterns of amplified 5S rRNA spacers,whereas intermediate showed no specific amplification profile of spacer regions.The 5S rRNA genes in intermediate are either identical with that of indica variety or that of japonica variety.These data suggest that the spacer length polymorphisms can be used to distinguish between closely ralated species and subspecies.

Characteristics of Resistance to Rice Sheath Blight of Zhongda 2,a Transgenic Rice Line as Modified by Gene “RC24”

The transgenic rice, Zhongda 2, which was genetically modified from an indica rice line Zhuxian B by rice chitinase gene (RC24), had high resistance to rice sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solan!) in laboratory and a two-year field experiment. The pathogen could invade sheath of Zhongda 2 and induce symptoms of the disease. No difference was noted in time of penetration or incubation period between Zhongda 2 and non-transgenic rice control, Zhuxian B, but the hyphae lysate could be observed earlier than control. Its resistance expressed as to inhibit the growth of mycelium in host tissue. Fis from Zhongda 2(4) crossed with other five non-transgenic rice lines showed higher resistance than donor non-transgenic parents, but the resistance was different along with the different maternal parents.

Prokaryotic Expression, Purification and Characterization of a Novel Rice Seed Lipoxygenase Gene OsLOX1

Lipoxygenase （LOX, EC1.13.11.12） is a key enzyme during the degradation of lipids in animals and even plants, and also the first key enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of jasmonate. To purify and characterize the OsLOX1 gene from rice seeds, the entire coding region of the OsLOX1 gene was inserted into an expression vector pET30a（＋） and transformed into Escherichia coil BL21 （DE3）. Expression of the fusion protein was successfully induced by isopropyl-β-D- thiogalactopyranoside （IPTG） and the purified recombinant protein was obtained by His.Bind Kits. Further assay showed that the purified recombinant protein exhibited the LOX activity. The optimum pH was 4.8 （acetate buffer） and the optimum temperature was 30℃ for the above enzyme. Thus, the recombinant might confer an available usage for the synthesis of jasmonate in vitro, and also provides a possibility for elucidating the inter-relationship between the primary structure of the plant seed lipoxygenase protein and its physiological functions.

Mutagenesis reveals that the rice OsMPT3 gene is an important osmotic regulatory factor

Plant mitochondrial phosphate transporters regulate phosphate transport and ATP synthesis. Determining whether they function in abiotic stress response process would shed light on their response to salt stress. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system to mutagenize two mitochondrial phosphate transporters, OsMPT3;1 and OsMPT3;2, to investigate their regulatory roles under salt stress. Two cas9(CRISPR-associated protein9)-free homozygous mutants, mpt33 and mpt30, were confirmed to be stable. Both OsMPT3;1 and OsMPT3;2 were markedly induced by salt stress, and their mutagenesis strongly inhibited growth and development, especially under salt stress. Mutagenesis sharply reduced the accumulation of ATP, phosphate, calcium, soluble sugar, and proline and increased osmotic potential, malondialdehyde, and Na^+ /K^+ ratio under salt stress. Both mutants demonstrate normal growth and development in the presence of ATP, revealing high sensitivity to exogenous ATP under salt stress. The mutants showed lowered rates of Na^+ efflux but also of K^+ and Ca^(2+) influx under salt stress. Mutagenesis of OsMPT3;2 altered the enrichment profiles of differentially expressed genes involved mainly in synthesis of secondary metabolites, metabolism of glycolysis, pyruvate, tricarboxylic acid cycle, in response to salt stress. The mutant displayed significant accumulation differences in 14 metabolites involved in 17 metabolic pathways, and strongly up-regulated the accumulation of glutamine, a precursor in proline synthesis, under salt stress. These findings suggest that the OsMPT3 gene modulates phosphate transport and energy supply for ATP synthesis and triggers changes in accumulation of ions and metabolites participating in osmotic regulation in rice under salt stress, thus increasing rice salt tolerance. This study demonstrates the effective application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing to the investigation of plant functional genes.

The AGL6-like gene OsMADS6 regulates floral organ and meristem identities in rice

Although AGAMOUS-LIKE6 (AGL6) MADS-box genes are ancient with wide distributions in gymnosperms and angiosperms, their functions remain poorly understood. Here, we show the biological role of the AGL6-1ike gene, OsMADS6, in specifying floral organ and meristem identities in rice (Oryza sativa L.). OsMADS6 was strongly ex- pressed in the floral meristem at early stages. Subsequently, OsMADS6 transcripts were mainly detectable in paleas, lodicules, carpels and the integument of ovule, as well as in the receptacle. Compared to wild type plants, osmads6 mutants displayed altered palea identity, extra glume-like or mosaic organs, abnormal carpel development and loss of floral meristem determinacy. Strikingly, mutation of a SEPALLATA (SEP)-like gene, OsMADS1 (LHS1), enhanced the defect of osmads6 flowers, and no inner floral organs or glume-like structures were observed in whorls 2 and 3 of osmadsl-z osmads6-1 flowers. Furthermore, the osmadsl-z osmads6-1 double mutants developed severely indetermi- nate floral meristems. Our finding, therefore, suggests that the ancient OsMADS6 gene is able to specify "floral state" by determining floral organ and meristem identities in monocot crop rice together with OsMADS1.

Effect of high temperature on the expressions of genes encoding starch synthesis enzymes in developing rice endosperms

High temperature is the major environmental factor affecting grain starch properties of cooking rice cultivars. In this study, two non-waxy indica rice genotypes, cv. 9311 and its mutant with extremely high amylose phenotype（9311eha） were used to study the differential expressions of genes in starch synthesis and their responses to high temperature（HT）. Significant increase in apparent amylose content and hot-water-soluble starch content in mutant 9311 eha were genetically caused by a substitution from AGTTATA to AGGTATA at the leader intron 5′ splice site in Wx gene. This mutation resulted in different m RNA transcript levels, m RNA splicing efficiencies and protein levels of Wx between the two rice genotypes, which also lead to the genotype-dependent alteration in the temporal pattern of Wx transcription and granule-bound starch synthase（GBSS） activity in response to HT. However, changes in the activities of other starch synthesizing enzymes and their expressions of distinct isoform genes were not significant with the Wx gene mutation, thus only minor difference in the particle size of starch granule, chain-length distribution and gelatinization enthalpy were found between the two genotypes. The temporal-specific expression of multiple isoform genes responsive to different temperature regiments indicated that the reduction of GBSS transcript expression under HT was generally accompanied by the decreased expressions of SSSIIa, SSSIIIa and SBEIIb. Consequently, high temperature-ripened grains in 9311 eha showed high proportion of intermediate and long B chains and somewhat lower level of short A chain compared to the wildtype. The temperature-dependent alteration of amylose content was not only attributed to the reduced expression of GBSS, but also associated with the complimentary effect of SSSIIa and SBEIIb.