A tiny rice RNA molecule controls whether plants can make seeds
Shao L, Qiu K, Xu R, Zhou J, Yang J
Crop Improvement
Rice feeds more than half the world's population, and understanding how this plant fine-tunes its own fertility could help breeders design more reliable, higher-yielding hybrid seed for farmers everywhere.
Inside developing rice flowers, a small snippet of genetic material called a phasiRNA works like a precise pair of scissors, cutting up a specific gene transcript to keep pollen production running smoothly. When researchers used CRISPR gene editing to remove this snippet, the plants struggled to make viable pollen and set far fewer seeds. It turns out this tiny molecule needs a specific helper protein to do its job, revealing a whole new piece of the puzzle for how rice controls its own reproduction.
Key Findings
A specific 21-nucleotide phasiRNA, named osphasiR1_1, was shown to cleave OsARF7 gene transcripts and is required for normal male fertility in rice
CRISPR-Cas9 knockout and short tandem target-mimic knockdown of osphasiR1_1 both caused significantly reduced male fertility and lower seed setting
The regulatory pathway depends on the protein OsAGO2 but not on MEL1/OsAGO5c, and overactive OsARF7 hyperactivates fertility genes including ribosomal protein L40-4 and heat shock protein 70-4
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered a tiny RNA molecule in rice plants that acts like a genetic switch to keep male fertility on track, and disabling it makes plants produce far fewer seeds. This finding could help breeders develop better hybrid rice varieties, which is critical for feeding a growing world population.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
A phased small interfering RNA acts in an OsAGO2-dependent manner to mediate OsARF7 cleavage and promote male fertility in rice.
A class of small RNAs, the phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs), are specifically expressed in anthers and closely associated with male fertility in monocots. However, the specific 21-nt phasi...
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