Open AccessAlternative splicing of Os LG 3b controls grain length and yield in japonica rice
Author(s) -
Yu Jianping,
Miao Jinli,
Zhang Zhanying,
Xiong Haiyan,
Zhu Xiaoyang,
Sun Xingming,
Pan Yinghua,
Liang Yuntao,
Zhang Qiang,
Abdul Rehman Rashid Muhammad,
Li Jinjie,
Zhang Hongliang,
Li Zichao
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12903
Subject(s) - biology , domestication , quantitative trait locus , japonica , panicle , introgression , plant genetics , indel , allele , germplasm , genetics , gene , single nucleotide polymorphism , agronomy , botany , genotype , regulation of gene expression
Summary Grain size, one of the important components determining grain yield in rice, is controlled by the multiple quantitative trait loci ( QTL s). Intensive artificial selection for grain size during domestication is evidenced in modern cultivars compared to their wild relatives. Here, we report the molecular cloning and characterization of Os LG 3b , a QTL for grain length in tropical japonica rice that encodes MADS ‐box transcription factor 1 (Os MADS 1). Six SNP s in the Os LG 3b region led to alternative splicing, which were associated with grain length in an association analysis of candidate region. Quantitative PCR analysis indicated that Os LG 3b expression was higher during the panicle and seed development stages. Analysis of haplotypes and introgression regions revealed that the long‐grain allele of Os LG 3b might have arisen after domestication of tropical japonica and spread to subspecies indica or temperate japonica by natural crossing and artificial selection. Os LG 3b is therefore a target of human selection for adaptation to tropical regions during domestication and/or improvement of rice. Phylogenetic analysis and pedigree records showed that Os LG 3b had been employed by breeders, but the gene still has much breeding potential for increasing grain length in indica . These findings will not only aid efforts to elucidate the molecular basis of grain development and domestication, but also facilitate the genetic improvement of rice yield.