GW9 determines grain size and floral organ identity in rice

Grain weight is an important determinant of grain yield. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms for grain size remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we identify a rice mutant grain weight 9 (gw9), which exhibits larger and heavier grains due to excessive cell proliferation and expansion in spikelet hull. GW9 encodes a nucleus-localized protein containing both C2H2 zinc finger (C2H2-ZnF) and VRN2-EMF2-FIS2-SUZ12 (VEFS) domains, serving as a negative regulator of grain size and weight. Interestingly, the non-frameshift mutations in C2H2-ZnF domain result in increased plant height and larger grain size, whereas frameshift mutations in both C2H2-ZnF and VEFS domains lead to dwarf and malformed spikelet. These observations indicated the dual functions of GW9 in regulating grain size and floral organ identity through the C2H2-ZnF and VEFS domains, respectively. Further investigation revealed the interaction between GW9 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase protein GW2, with GW9 being the target of ubiquitination by GW2. Genetic analyses suggest that GW9 and GW2 function in a coordinated pathway controlling grain size and weight. Our findings provide a novel insight into the functional role of GW9 in the regulation of grain size and weight, offering potential molecular strategies for improving rice yield.

The OsEIL1-OsERF115-target gene regulatory module controls grain size and weight in rice

Grain size is one of the essential determinants of rice yield. Our previous studies revealed that ethylene plays an important role in grain-size control; however, the precise mechanism remains to be determined. Here, we report that the ethylene response factor OsERF115 functions as a key downstream regulator for ethylene-mediated grain development. OsERF115 encodes an AP2/ERF-type transcriptional factor that is specifically expressed in young spikelets and developing caryopses. Overexpression of OsERF115 significantly increases grain length, width, thickness and weight by promoting longitudinal elongation and transverse division of spikelet hull cells, as well as enhancing grain-filling activity, whereas its knockout mutations lead to the opposite effects, suggesting that OsERF115 positively regulates grain size and weight. OsERF115 transcription is strongly induced by ethylene, and OsEIL1 directly binds to the promoter to activate its expression. OsERF115 acts as a transcriptional repressor to directly or indirectly modulate a set of grain-size genes during spikelet growth and endosperm development. Importantly, haplotype analysis reveals that the SNP variations in the EIN3-binding sites of OsERF115 promoter are significantly associated with the OsERF115 expression levels and grain weight, suggesting that natural variations in the OsERF115 promoter contribute to grain-size diversity. In addition, the OsERF115 orthologues are identified only in grass species, implying a conserved and unique role in the grain development of cereal crops. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanism of ethylene-mediated grain-size control and a potential strategy based on the OsEIL1-OsERF115-target gene regulatory module for genetic improvement of rice yield.

Plastidic pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E1 component subunit Alpha1 is involved in galactolipid biosynthesis required for amyloplast development in rice

Starch accounts for over 80% of the total dry weight in cereal endosperm and determines the kernel texture and nutritional quality. Amyloplasts, terminally differentiated plastids, are responsible for starch biosynthesis and storage. We screened a series of rice mutants with floury endosperm to clarify the mechanism underlying amyloplast development and starch synthesis. We identified the floury endosperm19 (flo19) mutant which shows opaque of the interior endosperm. Abnormal compound starch grains (SGs) were present in the endosperm cells of the mutant. Molecular cloning revealed that the FLO19 allele encodes a plastid-localized pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E1 component subunit α1 (ptPDC-E1-α1) that is expressed in all rice tissues. In vivo enzyme assays demonstrated that the flo19 mutant showed decreased activity of the plastidic pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. In addition, the amounts of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) were much lower in the developing flo19 mutant endosperm, suggesting that FLO19 participates in fatty acid supply for galactolipid biosynthesis in amyloplasts. FLO19 overexpression significantly increased seed size and weight, but did not affect other important agronomic traits, such as panicle length, tiller number and seed setting rate. An analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism data from a panel of rice accessions identified that the pFLO19^L haplotype was positively associated with grain length, implying a potential application in rice breeding. In summary, our study demonstrates that FLO19 is involved in galactolipid biosynthesis which is essential for amyloplast development and starch biosynthesis in rice.

The GW2-WG1-OsbZIP47 pathway controls grain size and weight in rice

Regulation of seed size is a key strategy for improving crop yield and is also a basic biological question. However, the molecular mechanisms by which plants determine their seed size remain elusive. Here, we report that the GW2-WG1-OsbZIP47 regulatory module controls grain width and weight in rice. WG1, which encodes a glutaredoxin protein, promotes grain growth by increasing cell proliferation. Interestingly, WG1 interacts with the transcription factor OsbZIP47 and represses its transcriptional activity by associating with the transcriptional co-repressor ASP1, indicating that WG1 may act as an adaptor protein to recruit the transcriptional co-repressor. In contrary, OsbZIP47 restricts grain growth by decreasing cell proliferation. Further studies reveal that the E3 ubiquitin ligase GW2 ubiquitinates WG1 and targets it for degradation. Genetic analyses confirm that GW2, WG1, and OsbZIP47 function in a common pathway to control grain growth. Taken together, our findings reveal a genetic and molecular framework for the control of grain size and weight by the GW2-WG1-OsbZIP47 regulatory module, providing new targets for improving seed size and weight in crops.

Gene editing of the wheat homologs of TONNEAU1-recruiting motif encoding gene affects grain shape and weight in wheat

Grain size and weight are important components of a suite of yield-related traits in crops. Here, we showed that the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of TaGW7, a homolog of rice OsGW7 encoding a TONNEAU1-recruiting motif (TRM) protein, affects grain shape and weight in allohexaploid wheat. By editing the TaGW7 homoeologs in the B and D genomes, we showed that mutations in either of the two or both genomes increased the grain width and weight but reduced the grain length. The effect sizes of mutations in the TaGW7 gene homoeologs coincided with the relative levels of their expression in the B and D genomes. The effects of gene editing on grain morphology and weight traits were dosage dependent with the double-copy mutant showing larger effect than the respective single copy mutants. The TaGW7-centered gene co-expression network indicated that this gene is involved in the pathways regulating cell division and organ growth, also confirmed by the cellular co-localization of TaGW7 with α- and β-tubulin proteins, the building blocks of microtubule arrays. The analyses of exome capture data in tetraploid domesticated and wild emmer, and hexaploid wheat revealed the loss of diversity around TaGW7-associated with domestication selection, suggesting that TaGW7 is likely to play an important role in the evolution of yield component traits in wheat. Our study showed how integrating CRISPR-Cas9 system with cross-species comparison can help to uncover the function of a gene fixed in wheat for allelic variants targeted by domestication selection and select targets for engineering new gene variants for crop improvement.

Dissecting the Genetic Basis of Grain Size and Weight in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) by QTL and Comparative Genetic Analyses

Grain size and weight are crucial components of barley yield and quality and are the target characteristics of domestication and modern breeding. Despite this, little is known about the genetic and molecular mechanisms of grain size and weight in barley. Here, we evaluated nine traits determining grain size and weight, including thousand grain weight (Tgw), grain length (Gl), grain width (Gw), grain length-width ratio (Lwr), grain area (Ga), grain perimeter (Gp), grain diameter (Gd), grain roundness (Gr), and factor form density (Ffd), in a double haploid (DH) population for three consecutive years. Using five mapping methods, we successfully identified 60 reliable QTLs and 27 hotspot regions that distributed on all chromosomes except 6H which controls the nine traits of grain size and weight. Moreover, we also identified 164 barley orthologs of 112 grain size/weight genes from rice, maize, wheat and 38 barley genes that affect grain yield. A total of 45 barley genes or orthologs were identified as potential candidate genes for barley grain size and weight, including 12, 20, 9, and 4 genes or orthologs for barley, rice, maize, and wheat, respectively. Importantly, 20 of them were located in the 14 QTL hotspot regions on chromosome 1H, 2H, 3H, 5H, and 7H, which controls barley grain size and weight. These results indicated that grain size/weight genes of other cereal species might have the same or similar functions in barley. Our findings provide new insights into the understanding of the genetic basis of grain size and weight in barley, and new information to facilitate high-yield breeding in barley. The function of these potential candidate genes identified in this study are worth exploring and studying in detail.

A Novel QTL qTGW3 Encodes the GSK3/SHAGGY-Like Kinase OsGSK5/OsSK41 that Interacts with OsARF4 to Negatively Regulate Grain Size and Weight in Rice

Grain size and shape are important determinants of grain weight and yield in rice. Here, we report a new major quantitative trait locus (QTL), qTGW3, that controls grain size and weight in rice. This locus, qTGW3, encodes OsSK41 (also known as OsGSK5), a member of the GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3/SHAGGY-like family. Rice near-isogenic lines carrying the loss-of-function allele of OsSK41 have increased grain length and weight. We demonstrate that OsSK41 interacts with and phosphorylates AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 4 (OsARF4). Co-expression of OsSK41 with OsARF4 increases the accumulation of OsARF4 in rice protoplasts. Loss of function of OsARF4 results in larger rice grains. RNA-sequencing analysis suggests that OsARF4 and OsSK41 repress the expression of a common set of downstream genes, including some auxin-responsive genes, during rice grain development. The loss-of-function form of OsSK41 at qTGW3 represents a rare allele that has not been extensively utilized in rice breeding. Suppression of OsSK41 function by either targeted gene editing or QTL pyramiding enhances rice grain size and weight. Thus, our study reveals the important role of OsSK41 in rice grain development and provides new candidate genes for genetic improvement of grain yield in rice and perhaps in other cereal crops.