State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China.
J Integr Plant Biol. 2024 Jan;66(1):66-85. doi: 10.1111/jipb.13583. Epub 2024 Jan 10.
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are components of the post-transcriptional regulatory system, but their regulatory effects on complex traits remain unknown. Using an integrated strategy involving map-based cloning, functional characterizations, and transcriptomic and population genomic analyses, we revealed that RBP-K (LOC_Os08g23120), RBP-A (LOC_Os11g41890), and RBP-J (LOC_Os10g33230) encode proteins that form an RBP-A-J-K complex that negatively regulates rice yield-related traits. Examinations of the RBP-A-J-K complex indicated RBP-K functions as a relatively non-specific RBP chaperone that enables RBP-A and RBP-J to function normally. Additionally, RBP-J most likely affects GA pathways, resulting in considerable increases in grain and panicle lengths, but decreases in grain width and thickness. In contrast, RBP-A negatively regulates the expression of genes most likely involved in auxin-regulated pathways controlling cell wall elongation and carbohydrate transport, with substantial effects on the rice grain filling process as well as grain length and weight. Evolutionarily, RBP-K is relatively ancient and highly conserved, whereas RBP-J and RBP-A are more diverse. Thus, the RBP-A-J-K complex may represent a typical functional model for many RBPs and protein complexes that function at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in plants and animals for increased functional consistency, efficiency, and versatility, as well as increased evolutionary potential. Our results clearly demonstrate the importance of RBP-mediated post-transcriptional regulation for the diversity of complex traits. Furthermore, rice grain yield and quality may be enhanced by introducing various complete or partial loss-of-function mutations to specific RBP genes using clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 technology and by exploiting desirable natural tri-genic allelic combinations at the loci encoding the components of the RBP-A-J-K complex through marker-assisted selection.
RNA 结合蛋白 (RBPs) 是转录后调控系统的组成部分，但它们对复杂性状的调控作用尚不清楚。本研究采用基于图谱的克隆、功能鉴定、转录组和群体基因组分析的综合策略，揭示了 RBP-K（LOC_Os08g23120）、RBP-A（LOC_Os11g41890）和 RBP-J（LOC_Os10g33230）编码的蛋白质形成 RBP-A-J-K 复合物，该复合物负调控与水稻产量相关的性状。对 RBP-A-J-K 复合物的研究表明，RBP-K 作为一种相对非特异性的 RBP 伴侣，使 RBP-A 和 RBP-J 能够正常发挥作用。此外，RBP-J 可能影响 GA 途径，导致粒长和穗长显著增加，但粒宽和粒厚显著减小。相反，RBP-A 负调控可能参与生长素调控的细胞壁伸长和碳水化合物运输途径的基因表达，对水稻灌浆过程以及粒长和粒重有显著影响。进化上，RBP-K 相对古老且高度保守，而 RBP-J 和 RBP-A 则更加多样化。因此，RBP-A-J-K 复合物可能代表植物和动物中在转录和转录后水平上发挥作用的许多 RBPs 和蛋白质复合物的典型功能模型，以提高功能一致性、效率和多功能性，以及增加进化潜力。我们的研究结果清楚地表明，RBP 介导的转录后调控对于复杂性状的多样性非常重要。此外，通过使用 CRISPR/Cas9 技术引入各种完整或部分功能丧失突变，以及利用编码 RBP-A-J-K 复合物成分的基因座的有利自然三基因等位组合，通过标记辅助选择，可能会提高水稻的产量和品质。
