Two rice genes found that control plant height and sturdiness
Li B, Sun J, Yao Q, Ding Y, Geng Y
Crispr
Rice that falls over in a storm loses its grain before harvest, and this discovery gives breeders a precise genetic dial to grow shorter, sturdier stalks without sacrificing yield.
Rice plants get their height from a series of stacked stem segments called internodes, and taller plants with long internodes tend to topple over in wind or heavy rain, ruining the harvest. By scanning the genetic code of over 400 rice varieties, researchers pinpointed two genes, nicknamed INL1 and INL2, that control how many and how long those segments grow. When the team used CRISPR gene editing to switch these genes off, the plants grew shorter and stockier because the genes normally interact with the plant's own growth hormone pathway.
Key Findings
GWAS analysis of 429 rice accessions and 3.16 million SNPs identified 34 significant marker-trait associations and four new QTLs for internode traits.
Two candidate genes, INL1 (a cytochrome P450 enzyme) and INL2 (a zinc finger transcription factor), were pinpointed as regulators of internode number and length.
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of INL1 and INL2 reduced internode length and plant height by disrupting gibberellin (GA) hormone metabolism, and one haplotype (HapA) of each gene is linked to shorter internodes useful for dwarf breeding.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found two rice genes that control how long each stem segment grows, and switching them off makes plants shorter and sturdier. This gives rice breeders a precise genetic target for creating dwarf varieties that resist falling over in wind and rain.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Candidate genes identification for internode length in rice via genome-wide association studies.
Through GWAS and CRISPR/Cas9, it was found that INL1 and INL2 act as candidate genes regulating rice internodes and may affect the GA pathway. Their favorable haplotypes provide valuable gene targe...
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