An F-box protein OsFKF1 interacts with either OsGI or Hd1 and mediates the degradation of OsGI to control flowering time in rice.
Zhang X, Huo Y, Hu Y, Wang T, Yin Y
Crispr
Rice paddies blanket more of Earth's farmed land than almost any other crop, and a single molecular switch that decides when the plant flowers could now be dialed in to keep harvests synchronized with local seasons as climates shift.
Rice plants have an internal timer that tells them when to bloom. Researchers found that one particular protein acts like a cleanup crew, breaking down another protein that would otherwise delay flowering. When scientists used CRISPR gene editing to disable this cleanup protein, the rice plants bloomed later than usual — but produced more grain in the process, which could be genuinely useful for rice farmers in regions with longer growing seasons.
Key Findings
OsFKF1 physically binds to two key flowering-time proteins (OsGI and Hd1) and marks OsGI for destruction via the cell's 26S proteasome garbage-disposal system, directly suppressing the genes that pull the trigger on flowering.
CRISPR-Cas9 knockouts of OsFKF1, OsGI, and Hd1 — all engineered in the same genetic background — each independently produced late-flowering plants, confirming these three proteins act in the same regulatory pathway.
Loss of OsFKF1 not only delayed flowering but also enhanced grain yield and affected multiple agronomic traits, suggesting the protein's role extends beyond the flowering clock into broader crop productivity.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified a protein in rice called OsFKF1 that controls flowering time by tagging another protein for destruction, triggering a molecular chain reaction. Disabling OsFKF1 with gene editing caused plants to flower later and, unexpectedly, produce higher grain yields — a discovery with direct implications for breeding rice adapted to different climates and growing seasons.
Abstract Preview
Flowering time of rice (Oryza sativa) plays important roles in regulating grain yield, quality, and adaptability. O. sativa GIGANTEAN (OsGI), heading date 1 (Hd1), and O. sativa flavin-binding, Kel...
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