It has long been thought that growth‐regulating factors（GRFs） gene family members act as transcriptional activators to play important roles in multiple plant developmental processes. However, the recent characteriz...It has long been thought that growth‐regulating factors（GRFs） gene family members act as transcriptional activators to play important roles in multiple plant developmental processes. However, the recent characterization of Arabidopsis GRF7 showed that it functions as a transcriptional repressor of osmotic stress‐responsive genes. This highlights the complex and diverse mechanisms by which different GRF members use to take action. In this study, the maize（Zea mays L.） GRF10 was functionally characterized to improve this concept. The deduced ZmGRF10 protein retains the N‐terminal QLQ and WRC domains, the characteristic regions as protein‐interacting and DNA‐binding domains, respectively. However,it lacks nearly the entire C‐terminal domain, the regions executing transactivation activity. Consistently, ZmGRF10 protein maintains the ability to interact with GRF‐interacting factors（GIFs） proteins, but lacks transactivation activity.Overexpression of ZmGRF10 in maize led to a reduction in leaf size and plant height through decreasing cell proliferation,whereas the yield‐related traits were not affected. Transcriptome analysis revealed that multiple biological pathways were affected by ZmGRF10 overexpression, including a few transcriptional regulatory genes, which have been demonstrated to have important roles in controlling plant growth and development. We propose that ZmGRF10 aids in fine‐tuning the homeostasis of the GRF‐GIF complex in the regulation of cell proliferation.展开更多
Abstract: A rice mutant with reduced heading date (designated rhd1) found in a transgenic line of cultivar Teqing 2 (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) was used to identify the genes related to rice heading and thereby to s...Abstract: A rice mutant with reduced heading date (designated rhd1) found in a transgenic line of cultivar Teqing 2 (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) was used to identify the genes related to rice heading and thereby to study its molecular mechanism. Genetic analysis showed that rhd1 was a dominant mutation and did not result from T-DNA insertion. By using the differential display polymerase chain reaction (DD-PCR) technique, differential gene expression between rhd1 and Teqing 2 was compared and a rhd1-down-regulated c DNA fragment was identified. Sequence analysis showed that this fragment shared 99% similarity to the OsGRF1 (O. sativa growth-regulating factor 1) gene. The OsGRF1 gene encodes a putative transcription factor, which contains two conserved regions: the QLQ (Gln, Leu, Gln) and WRC (Trp, Arg, Cys) domains. Southern analysis indicates that OsGRF1 may be encoded by single copy gene in the rice genome. RNA interference results revealed that transgenic lines with reduced OsGRF1 transcript displayed delayed growth and development, developed small leaves, and had delayed heading. The extent of the phenotypes developed was well-correlated with the OsGRF1 gene transcript. Our results clearly demonstrate that the OsGRF1 gene is not only involved in regulating growth at the juvenile stage, but that it may also be involved in the regulation of heading in rice.展开更多
Leaf cells undergo two main developmental events;i.e., cell proliferation and cell differentiation, before maturation. These events occur sequentially at specific positions and with specific timing during leaf develop...Leaf cells undergo two main developmental events;i.e., cell proliferation and cell differentiation, before maturation. These events occur sequentially at specific positions and with specific timing during leaf development. To understand the transition from cell proliferation to cell differentiation of rice leaves, we analyzed rice leaves from both morphological and molecular viewpoints. The results of anatomical, morphological, and histochemical analyses indicated that P4 leaf primordium is the stage when dynamic transition of the cellular state from immature to mature along the proximal-distal axis of the leaf occurs. We screened for marker genes showing a dynamic expression pattern along the proximal-distal axis of the P4 leaf, and applied them to expression analysis in wild-type and various morphogenetic mutants. The changes in expression pattern of the marker genes varied between developmental stages and between mutants. Our analysis reinforced previous data regarding the developmental transition of wild-type rice leaves and indicated that the transition can be monitored using our molecular markers. The results of this study indicate that expression analysis using these molecular markers would be valuable for understanding the genetic effects on leaf development in various leaf morphogenetic mutants.展开更多
Knowledge of the function of growth-regulating factors(GRFs)in sugarcane(Saccharum officinarum and S.spontaneum)growth and development could assist breeders in selecting desirable plant architectures.However,limited i...Knowledge of the function of growth-regulating factors(GRFs)in sugarcane(Saccharum officinarum and S.spontaneum)growth and development could assist breeders in selecting desirable plant architectures.However,limited information about GRFs is available in Saccharum due to their polyploidy.In this study,22 GRFs were identified in the two species and their conserved domains,gene structures,chromosome location,and synteny were characterized.GRF7 expression varied among tissues and responded to diurnal rhythm.SsGRF7-YFP was localized preferentially in the nucleus and appears to act as a transcriptional cofactor.SsGRF7 positively regulated the size and length of rice leaves,possibly by regulating cell size and plant hormones.Of seven potential transcription factors binding to the SsGRF7 promoter in S.spontaneum,four showed positive expression patterns,and two showed negative expression patterns relative to SsGRF7.展开更多
A better understanding of genetic bases of growth regulation is essential for bivalve breeding,which is helpful to improve the yield of the commercially important bivalves.While previous studies have identified some c...A better understanding of genetic bases of growth regulation is essential for bivalve breeding,which is helpful to improve the yield of the commercially important bivalves.While previous studies have identified some candidate genes accounting for variation in growth-related traits through genotype-phenotype association analyses,seldom of them have verified the functions of these putative,growth-related genes beyond the genomic level due to the difficulty of culturing commercial bivalves under laboratory conditions.Fortunately,dwarf surf clam Mulinia lateralis can serve as a model organism for studying marine bivalves given its short generation time,the feasibility of being grown under experimental conditions and the availability of genetic and biological information.Using dwarf surf clam as a model bivalve,we characterize E2F3,a gene that has been found to account for variation in growth in scallops by a previous genome-wide association study,and verify its function in growth regulation through RNA interference(RNAi)experiments.For the first time,E2F3 in dwarf surf clam,which is termed as MulE2F3,is characterized.The results reveal that dwarf surf clams with MulE2F3 knocked down exhibit a reduction in both shell size and soft-tissue weight,indicating the functions of MulE2F3 in positively regulating bivalve growth.More importantly,we demonstrate how dwarf surf clam can be used as a model organism to investigate gene functions in commercial bivalves,shedding light on genetic causes for variation in growth to enhance the efficiency of bivalve farming.展开更多
在农业生产中,大量施用氮肥是农作物增产的重要措施之一.在长达半个多世纪的农作物育种史上一直占据主导地位的'绿色革命'半矮化品种具有耐高肥、抗倒伏和高产的优良特性,但同时也存在氮肥利用效率(nitrogen use efficiency, N...在农业生产中,大量施用氮肥是农作物增产的重要措施之一.在长达半个多世纪的农作物育种史上一直占据主导地位的'绿色革命'半矮化品种具有耐高肥、抗倒伏和高产的优良特性,但同时也存在氮肥利用效率(nitrogen use efficiency, NUE)低的局限性,其高产量对于高水肥投入的依赖性很大.因此,为了提高农作物产量,不得不大量施用氮肥.但是,持续大量的氮肥投入不仅增加了种植成本,还导致了日益严重的环境污染问题.面临粮食安全和生态安全的双重挑战,协同提升农作物NUE和产量已成为可持续农业发展的唯一出路.结合我国粮食安全和农业可持续发展的迫切需求,本研究团队在植物生长发育与氮素代谢协同作用机制的研究以及氮肥高效利用的新种质培育方面取得了突破性进展.这项研究为'少投入、多产出、保护环境'的农作物设计育种提供了理论依据和技术支撑.本文简单介绍近年来NUE相关研究进展以及本研究团队在GRF4-DELLA分子模块协同调控农作物NUE和产量方面的新发现,并对该领域的未来研究方向提出几点展望.展开更多
基金supported by the National Transgene Research and Industrialization Project of China (2011ZX08003-003-00A)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2012AA10A305)National Program on Key Basic Research Project of China (2014CB147300)
文摘It has long been thought that growth‐regulating factors（GRFs） gene family members act as transcriptional activators to play important roles in multiple plant developmental processes. However, the recent characterization of Arabidopsis GRF7 showed that it functions as a transcriptional repressor of osmotic stress‐responsive genes. This highlights the complex and diverse mechanisms by which different GRF members use to take action. In this study, the maize（Zea mays L.） GRF10 was functionally characterized to improve this concept. The deduced ZmGRF10 protein retains the N‐terminal QLQ and WRC domains, the characteristic regions as protein‐interacting and DNA‐binding domains, respectively. However,it lacks nearly the entire C‐terminal domain, the regions executing transactivation activity. Consistently, ZmGRF10 protein maintains the ability to interact with GRF‐interacting factors（GIFs） proteins, but lacks transactivation activity.Overexpression of ZmGRF10 in maize led to a reduction in leaf size and plant height through decreasing cell proliferation,whereas the yield‐related traits were not affected. Transcriptome analysis revealed that multiple biological pathways were affected by ZmGRF10 overexpression, including a few transcriptional regulatory genes, which have been demonstrated to have important roles in controlling plant growth and development. We propose that ZmGRF10 aids in fine‐tuning the homeostasis of the GRF‐GIF complex in the regulation of cell proliferation.
文摘Abstract: A rice mutant with reduced heading date (designated rhd1) found in a transgenic line of cultivar Teqing 2 (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) was used to identify the genes related to rice heading and thereby to study its molecular mechanism. Genetic analysis showed that rhd1 was a dominant mutation and did not result from T-DNA insertion. By using the differential display polymerase chain reaction (DD-PCR) technique, differential gene expression between rhd1 and Teqing 2 was compared and a rhd1-down-regulated c DNA fragment was identified. Sequence analysis showed that this fragment shared 99% similarity to the OsGRF1 (O. sativa growth-regulating factor 1) gene. The OsGRF1 gene encodes a putative transcription factor, which contains two conserved regions: the QLQ (Gln, Leu, Gln) and WRC (Trp, Arg, Cys) domains. Southern analysis indicates that OsGRF1 may be encoded by single copy gene in the rice genome. RNA interference results revealed that transgenic lines with reduced OsGRF1 transcript displayed delayed growth and development, developed small leaves, and had delayed heading. The extent of the phenotypes developed was well-correlated with the OsGRF1 gene transcript. Our results clearly demonstrate that the OsGRF1 gene is not only involved in regulating growth at the juvenile stage, but that it may also be involved in the regulation of heading in rice.
文摘Leaf cells undergo two main developmental events;i.e., cell proliferation and cell differentiation, before maturation. These events occur sequentially at specific positions and with specific timing during leaf development. To understand the transition from cell proliferation to cell differentiation of rice leaves, we analyzed rice leaves from both morphological and molecular viewpoints. The results of anatomical, morphological, and histochemical analyses indicated that P4 leaf primordium is the stage when dynamic transition of the cellular state from immature to mature along the proximal-distal axis of the leaf occurs. We screened for marker genes showing a dynamic expression pattern along the proximal-distal axis of the P4 leaf, and applied them to expression analysis in wild-type and various morphogenetic mutants. The changes in expression pattern of the marker genes varied between developmental stages and between mutants. Our analysis reinforced previous data regarding the developmental transition of wild-type rice leaves and indicated that the transition can be monitored using our molecular markers. The results of this study indicate that expression analysis using these molecular markers would be valuable for understanding the genetic effects on leaf development in various leaf morphogenetic mutants.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program(2021YFF1000101 and 2021YFF1000104)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32272196)the Sugarcane Research Foundation of Guangxi University(2022GZB007)。
文摘Knowledge of the function of growth-regulating factors(GRFs)in sugarcane(Saccharum officinarum and S.spontaneum)growth and development could assist breeders in selecting desirable plant architectures.However,limited information about GRFs is available in Saccharum due to their polyploidy.In this study,22 GRFs were identified in the two species and their conserved domains,gene structures,chromosome location,and synteny were characterized.GRF7 expression varied among tissues and responded to diurnal rhythm.SsGRF7-YFP was localized preferentially in the nucleus and appears to act as a transcriptional cofactor.SsGRF7 positively regulated the size and length of rice leaves,possibly by regulating cell size and plant hormones.Of seven potential transcription factors binding to the SsGRF7 promoter in S.spontaneum,four showed positive expression patterns,and two showed negative expression patterns relative to SsGRF7.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.U2106231)the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2022YFD2400303)the Key R&D Project of Shandong Province(No.2022 TZXD003).
文摘A better understanding of genetic bases of growth regulation is essential for bivalve breeding,which is helpful to improve the yield of the commercially important bivalves.While previous studies have identified some candidate genes accounting for variation in growth-related traits through genotype-phenotype association analyses,seldom of them have verified the functions of these putative,growth-related genes beyond the genomic level due to the difficulty of culturing commercial bivalves under laboratory conditions.Fortunately,dwarf surf clam Mulinia lateralis can serve as a model organism for studying marine bivalves given its short generation time,the feasibility of being grown under experimental conditions and the availability of genetic and biological information.Using dwarf surf clam as a model bivalve,we characterize E2F3,a gene that has been found to account for variation in growth in scallops by a previous genome-wide association study,and verify its function in growth regulation through RNA interference(RNAi)experiments.For the first time,E2F3 in dwarf surf clam,which is termed as MulE2F3,is characterized.The results reveal that dwarf surf clams with MulE2F3 knocked down exhibit a reduction in both shell size and soft-tissue weight,indicating the functions of MulE2F3 in positively regulating bivalve growth.More importantly,we demonstrate how dwarf surf clam can be used as a model organism to investigate gene functions in commercial bivalves,shedding light on genetic causes for variation in growth to enhance the efficiency of bivalve farming.
文摘在农业生产中,大量施用氮肥是农作物增产的重要措施之一.在长达半个多世纪的农作物育种史上一直占据主导地位的'绿色革命'半矮化品种具有耐高肥、抗倒伏和高产的优良特性,但同时也存在氮肥利用效率(nitrogen use efficiency, NUE)低的局限性,其高产量对于高水肥投入的依赖性很大.因此,为了提高农作物产量,不得不大量施用氮肥.但是,持续大量的氮肥投入不仅增加了种植成本,还导致了日益严重的环境污染问题.面临粮食安全和生态安全的双重挑战,协同提升农作物NUE和产量已成为可持续农业发展的唯一出路.结合我国粮食安全和农业可持续发展的迫切需求,本研究团队在植物生长发育与氮素代谢协同作用机制的研究以及氮肥高效利用的新种质培育方面取得了突破性进展.这项研究为'少投入、多产出、保护环境'的农作物设计育种提供了理论依据和技术支撑.本文简单介绍近年来NUE相关研究进展以及本研究团队在GRF4-DELLA分子模块协同调控农作物NUE和产量方面的新发现,并对该领域的未来研究方向提出几点展望.
