Laboratory for Evolution and Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
University of Montpellier, DIADE, IRD, France.
J Exp Bot. 2019 Oct 24;70(20):5617-5629. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erz340.
Rice yield is influenced by inflorescence size and architecture, and inflorescences from domesticated rice accessions produce more branches and grains. Neither the molecular control of branching nor the developmental differences between wild and domesticated rice accessions are fully understood. We surveyed phenotypes related to branching, size, and grain yield across 91 wild and domesticated African and Asian accessions. Characteristics related to axillary meristem identity were the main phenotypic differences between inflorescences from wild and domesticated accessions. We used whole transcriptome sequencing in developing inflorescences to measure gene expression before and after the transition from branching axillary meristems to determinate spikelet meristems. We identified a core set of genes associated with axillary meristem identity in Asian and African rice, and another set associated with phenotypic variability between wild and domesticated accessions. AP2/EREBP-like genes were enriched in both sets, suggesting that they are key factors in inflorescence branching and rice domestication. Our work has identified new candidates in the molecular control of inflorescence development and grain yield, and provides a detailed description of the effects of domestication on phenotype and gene expression.
水稻的产量受花序大小和结构的影响，而驯化稻种的花序产生更多的分枝和籽粒。分枝的分子调控以及野生和驯化稻种之间的发育差异都尚未完全理解。我们调查了 91 个野生和亚洲非洲驯化稻种的分枝、大小和籽粒产量相关的表型。野生和驯化稻种花序之间的主要表型差异是与侧芽分生组织身份相关的特征。我们在发育中的花序中进行了全转录组测序，以测量分枝腋芽分生组织向有限小穗分生组织转变前后的基因表达。我们在亚洲和非洲稻中确定了一组与侧芽分生组织身份相关的核心基因，以及另一组与野生和驯化稻种之间表型变异相关的基因。AP2/EREBP 样基因在两组中均有富集，表明它们是花序分枝和水稻驯化的关键因素。我们的工作鉴定了花序发育和籽粒产量的分子调控的新候选基因，并详细描述了驯化对表型和基因表达的影响。
