One rice gene quietly caps how big grains can grow
Crop Improvement
The rice on your plate tonight could be plumper and more abundant if breeders fine-tune this single gene, which also helps plants cope with drought and other stresses.
Inside rice plants there's a gene called GW2 that works like a quality-control worker, tagging certain proteins for destruction so the plant doesn't grow its seeds too big. When scientists disable or tweak this gene, the seed hull expands, cells multiply and stretch more, and the grains end up larger and heavier. Because this same gene also touches how plants handle stress and flowering time, it's become a favorite target for breeders trying to grow bigger, tougher rice.
Key Findings
GW2 encodes a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase that marks proteins for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway
Grain size in rice is jointly controlled by cell proliferation and cell expansion in the spikelet hull, which GW2 regulates
GW2 influences multiple life stages beyond seed size, including germination, vegetative growth, flowering time, and stress tolerance
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists have identified a single gene switch in rice, called GW2, that acts like a brake pedal for grain size. Turning off this brake lets rice grains grow bigger and heavier, offering a genetic shortcut for breeding higher-yield crops.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The role of E3 ubiquitin ligase grain width and weight 2 (GW2) as a regulator of plant growth and seed size
Abstract Grain size is a major determinant of rice yield and has therefore been a primary target in rice breeding programs. Germination, vegetative growth, and flowering time are critical factors i...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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