Isolation and characterization of rl（t）, a gene that controls leaf rolling in rice

Moderate leaf rolling is one of the most important morphological traits in rice breeding for plant ideotype. Previous studies have shown that the rl（t） gene has a high breeding potential for developing hybrid-rice varieties with an ideal ideotype, because it leads to an appropriate leaf rolling index （LRI） of about 30 % in the heterozygous state, and had a positive effect on grain yield. In this study, we isolated rl（t） and performed a preliminary investigation of its function in regulating leaf rolling in rice. DNA sequencing identified a single base change （G to T） in the finely mapped region （11 kb） containing rl（t）, and this is located in 3′-untranslated region （3′-UTR） of the only predicted gene, Roc5 （Rice outermost cell-specific）. The expression level of Roc5 is significantly higher in the rl（t） mutant than in the wild-type. Using RNAi and overexpression analysis, we found that the expression level of Roc5 correlated with LRI and leaf bulliform area, and wasalso associated with leaf abaxial or adaxial rolling. These results confirmed that Roc5 controls leaf rolling in a dosagedependent manner. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a conserved 17-nt sequence （called the GU-rich element） in the 3′-UTR of HD-GL2 （Homeodomain-Glabra2） family genes including Roc5. Based on the model of this element in regulating mRNA stability in mammals, we speculate that the single nucleotide change in this element accounts for the higher expression level of Roc5 in the rl（t） mutant compared to the wild-type, which ultimately leads to adaxial rolling of the leaf. This discovery further enhances our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf rolling in rice.     

Genetic analysis and gene cloning of a triangular hull 1 (tri1) mutant in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Grain shape and size are two key factors that determine rice yield and quality. In the present study, a rice triangular hull mutant (tri1) was obtained from the progeny of japonica rice variety Taipei 309 treated with 60Co γ-rays. Compared to the wild type, the tri1 mutant presents a triangular hull, and exhibits an increase in grain thickness and protein content, but with a slight decrease in plant height and grain weight. Genetic analysis indicated that the mutant phenotype was controlled by a recessive nuclear gene which is stably inherited. Using a map-based cloning strategy, we fine-mapped tri1 to a 47-kb region between the molecular markers CHR0122 and CHR0127 on the long arm of chromosome 1, and showed that it co-segregates with the molecular marker CHR0119. According to the rice genome sequence annotation there are six predicated genes within the mapped region. Sequencing analysis of the mutant and the wild type indicated that there was a deletion of an A nucleotide in exon 3 of the OsMADS32 gene, which could result in a downstream frameshift mutation and premature termination of the predicted polypeptide. Both semi-quantitative and real-time RT-PCR analyses showed that this gene expressed highly in young inflorescences, while expressed at very low levels in other tissues. These results implied that the OsMADS32 gene could be a candidate of TRI1. Taken together, the results of this study lay the foundation for further investigation into the molecular mechanisms regulating rice caryopsis development.     

Fine mapping of cisc(t), a gene for cold-induced seedling chlorosis, and identification of its candidate in rice

The seedlings of indica rice cultivar Dular are susceptible to chlorosis under low temperature conditions. Our previous studies indicated that low temperature-induced seedling chlorosis is controlled by a recessive gene, located between SSR markers RM257 and RM242, on the long arm of chromosome 9. We temporarily named the gene cisc(t). Using a large F₂ population derived from a cross between Dular and the japonica cultivar Lemont, which displays a normal green color at low temperatures, cisc(t) was fine mapped to within a 12-kb interval. There is only one annotated gene in this interval, which encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein. Sequence analysis indicated that 8 bases were deleted at the 60th base in the Dular allele, resulting in a frame-shift mutation and loss of function of the gene. This is consistent with the chlorosis mutant phenotype of Dular. In addition, previous studies have shown that many chlorosis mutants of seedlings are related to PPR proteins. Hence, we presume that the PPR gene is the candidate for cisc(t).     

Generation of selectable marker-free transgenic rice resistant to chewing insects using two co-transformation systems

To produce selectable marker-free (SMF) transgenic rice resistant to chewing insects, the Bacillus thuringiensis cryIA(c) gene (Bt) was introduced into two elite japonica rice varieties by using two Agrobacterium-mediated co-transformation systems. One system is with a single mini-twin T-DNA binary vector in one Agrobacterium strain, which consists of two separate T-DNA regions, one carrying the Bt while the other contains the selectable marker gene, hygromycin resistant gene (HPT). The other system uses two separate binary vectors in two separate Agrobacterium cultures, containing the Bt or HPT gene on individual plasmids. A lot of independent transgenic rice lines harboring both Bt and selectable marker genes were obtained. The results showed that the co-transformation frequency of the Bt gene and HPT gene was much higher by using the mini-twin T-DNA vector system (29.87%) than that by the two separate binary vector systems (4.52%). However, the frequency of the SMF transgenic rice plants obtained from the offspring of co-transgenic plants (21.74%) was lower for the mini-twin T-DNA vector system than that for the latter (50-60%). The data of ELISA implied that the expressed Bt proteins were quantitated as 0.025-0.103% of total leaf soluble proteins in the transgenic plant. Therefore, several elite transgenic rice lines, free of the selectable marker gene, were chosen. The results from both in vitro and in vivo insect bioassays indicated that the SMF transgenic rice was shown to be highly resistant to the striped stem borer and rice leaf folder. Moreover, in a natural field condition without any insecticide applied, all the transgenic rice plants were found to be not injured by the rice leaf folder, whereas the wild types were impaired seriously.     

Genetic analysis and fine mapping of the pubescence gene GL6 in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The pubescence of the leaf blade surface is an important agronomic characteristic for rice morphology and significantly influences rice growth as well as physiological characteristics. This characteristic was analyzed in F1 and F2 plants derived by crossing cultivar 75-1-127 with the indica cultivar Minghui 63, as well as the glabrous cultivar Lemont and indica cultivar 9311. Results indicated that the pubescence of the leaf blade surface was a dominant trait and controlled by a single gene. The GL6 gene was primarily mapped on rice chromosome 6 with recessive F2 population derived from 75-1-127/Minghui 63 by combining bulked segregation analysis and recessive class analysis using the Mapmaker3.0/MapDraw software. The genetic distances between the simple sequence repeat markers RM20491 and RM20547 were 7.2 and 2.2 cM, respectively. The GL6 gene was fine mapped in the interval between InDel-106 and InDel-115 at genetic distances of 0.3 and 0.1 cM, respectively. The large, recessive F2 population was derived from 75-1-127/Minghui 63. A high-resolution genetic and physical map of GL6 was constructed. Derived from the map-based sequences published by the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project, the GL6 gene was localized at an interval of 79 (japonica) and 116.82 kb (9311) bracketed by InDel-106 and InDel-115 within the BAC accession numbers AP008403 and AP005760. Seven annotated genes (japonica) and eight annotated genes (9311) were present. The basis was further set for GL6 cloning and function analysis.     

Repeated, recent and diverse transfers of a mitochondrial gene to the nucleus in flowering plants

A central component of the endosymbiotic theory for the bacterial origin of the mitochondrion is that many of its genes were transferred to the nucleus. Most of this transfer occurred early in mitochondrial evolution; functional transfer of mitochondrial genes has ceased in animals. Although mitochondrial gene transfer continues to occur in plants, no comprehensive study of the frequency and timing of transfers during plant evolution has been conducted. Here we report frequent loss (26 times) and transfer to the nucleus of the mitochondrial gene rps10 among 277 diverse angiosperms. Characterization of nuclear rps10 genes from 16 out of 26 loss lineages implies that many independent, RNA-mediated rps10 transfers occurred during recent angiosperm evolution; each of the genes may represent a separate functional gene transfer. Thus, rps10 has been transferred to the nucleus at a surprisingly high rate during angiosperm evolution. The structures of several nuclear rps10 genes reveal diverse mechanisms by which transferred genes become activated, including parasitism of pre-existing nuclear genes for mitochondrial or cytoplasmic proteins, and activation without gain of a mitochondrial targeting sequence.     

Genetic analysis and fine mapping of an enclosed panicle mutant esp2 in rice （Oryza sativa L.）

The phenomenon of panicle enclosure in rice is mainly caused by the shortening of uppermost internode.Elucidating the molecular mechanism of panicle enclosure will be helpful for solving the problem of panicle enclosure in male sterile lines and creating new germplasms in rice.We acquired a monogenic recessive enclosed panicle mutant,named as esp2 (enclosed shorter panicle 2),from the tissue culture progeny of indica rice cultivar Minghui-86.In the mutant,panicles were entirely enclosed by flag leaf sheaths and the uppermost internode was almost completely degenerated,but the other internodes did not have obvious changes in length.Genetic analysis indicated that the mutant phenotype was controlled by a recessive gene,which could be steadily inherited and was not affected by genetic background.Apparently,ESP2 is a key gene for the development of uppermost internode in rice.Using an F 2 population of a cross between esp2 and a japonica rice cultivar Xiushui-13 as well as SSR and InDel markers,we fine mapped ESP2 to a 14-kb region on the end of the short arm of chromosome 1.According to the rice genome sequence annotation,only one intact gene exists in this region,namely,a putative phosphatidylserine synthase gene.Sequencing analysis on the mutant and the wild type indicated that this gene was inserted by a 5287-bp retrotransposon sequence.Hence,we took this gene as a candidate of ESP2.The results of this study will facilitate the cloning and functional analysis of ESP2 gene.     

Genome-wide analysis of nucleotide-binding site disease resistance genes in Medicago truncatula

The class of nucleotide-binding site （NBS）- Leucine-rich repeat （LRR） disease resistance genes play an important role in defending plants from a variety of pathogens and insect pests. Consequently, many NBS-LRR genes have been identified in various plant species. In this study, we identified 617 NBS-encoding genes in the Medicago truncatula genome （Mt3.5v5） and divided them into two groups, regular （490） and non-regular （127） NBS- LRR genes. The regular NBS-LRR genes were character- ized on the bases of structural diversity, chromosomal location, gene duplication, conserved protein motifs, and EST expression profiling. According to N-terminal motifs and LRR motifs, the 490 regular NBS-LRR genes were then classified into 10 types： CC-NBS （4）, CC-NBS-LRR （212）, TIR-NBS （20）, TIR-NBS-LRR （160）, TIR-NBS-TIR （1）, TIR-NBS-TIR-LRR （2）, NBS-TIR （7）, NBS-TIR-LRR （1）, NBS （10）, and NBS-LRR （73）. Analysis of the phys- ical location and duplications of the regular NBS-LRR genes revealed that the M. truncatula genome is similar to rice. Interestingly, we found that TIR-type genes are more frequently expressed than non-TIR-type genes in M. trun- catula, whereas the number of non-TIR-type regular NBS- LRR genes was greater than TIR-type genes, suggesting the gene expression was not associated with the total number of NBS-LRR genes. Moreover, we found that the phylogenetic tree supported our division of the regular NBS-LRR genes into two distinct clades （TIR-type and non-TIR-type）, but some of the non-TIR-type lineages contain TIR-type genes. These analyses provide a robust database of NBS-LRR genes in M. truncatula that will facilitate the isolation of new resistance genes and breeding strategies to engineer disease resistance in leguminous crop     

Transfer of a eubacteria-type cell division site-determining factor CrldfnD 8ene to the nucleus from the chloroplast genome in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

MinD is a ubiquitous ATPase that plays a crucial role in selection of the division site in eubacteria, chloroplasts, and probably Archaea. In four green algae, MesosUgma viride, Nephroselmis olivacea, Chlorella vulgaris and Prototheca wickerhamii, MinD homologues are encoded in the plastid genome. However, in Arabidopsis, MinD is a nucleus-encoded, chloroplast-targeted protein involved in chloroplast division, which suggests that MinD has been transferred to the nucleus in higher land plants. Yet the lateral gene transfer （LGT） of MinD from plastid to nucleus during plastid evolution remains poorly understood. Here, we identified a nucleus-encoded MinD homologue from unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a basal species in the green plant lineage. Overexpression of CrMinD in wild type E. coil inhibited cell division and resulted in the filamentous cell formation, clearly demonstrated the conservation of the MinD protein during the evolution of photosynthetic eukaryotes. The transient expression of CrMinD-egfp confirmed the role of CrMinD protein in the regulation of plastid division. Searching all the published plastid genomic sequences of land plants, no MinD homologues were found, which suggests that the transfer of MinD from plastid to nucleus might have occurred before the evolution of land plants.     

Rice transformation with a senescence-inhibition chimeric gene

A senescence-inhibition chimeric gene containing the specific promoter of SAG₁₂ and IPT gene was transferred into rice with the biolistic method. Results of PCR, Dot blotting and Southern blotting indicated that the chimeric gene had been integrated into rice genome. Analyses of GUS activity and cytokinin content in transgenic plants of rice and the observation of T₁ generation plant at grain formation stage indicated that the foreign gene was expressed.     

Identification and gene mapping of a narrow and upper-albino leaf mutant in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The leaf blade consists of color and shape traits. Studies of leaf-blade development are important for improvement of rice yield and quality because it is an essential organ for photosynthesis. A narrow and upper-albino leaf mutant (nul1) was identified from among progeny of the indica restorer line Jinhui10 raised from seeds treated with ethyl methane sulfonate. Under field conditions, the mutant displayed narrow and upper-albino leaf blades with significantly decreased photosynthetic pigment contents throughout their development. The narrow-leaf trait is caused by a decreased number of small veins. In contrast to the wild type, the growth period was extended by approximately 8 d and agronomic traits, such as effective panicle number, percentage seed set and 1000-grain weight, declined significantly in the nul1 mutant. Genetic analysis suggested that the narrow and upper-albino leaf characteristics showed coseparation and were controlled by one recessive gene. The Nul1 gene was mapped onto chromosome 7 between the Indel marker Ind07-1 and the Simple Sequence Repeat marker RM21637. The physical distance between the markers was 75 kb and eight genes were annotated in this region based on the rice Nipponbare genome sequence. These results provide a foundation for cloning and function analysis of Nul1.     

Angiosperm phylogeny inferred from multiple genes as a tool for comparative biology

Comparative biology requires a firm phylogenetic foundation to uncover and understand patterns of diversification and evaluate hypotheses of the processes responsible for these patterns. In the angiosperms, studies of diversification in floral form, stamen organization, reproductive biology, photosynthetic pathway, nitrogen-fixing symbioses and life histories have relied on either explicit or implied phylogenetic trees. Furthermore, to understand the evolution of specific genes and gene families, evaluate the extent of conservation of plant genomes and make proper sense of the huge volume of molecular genetic data available for model organisms such as Arabidopsis, Antirrhinum, maize, rice and wheat, a phylogenetic perspective is necessary. Here we report the results of parsimony analyses of DNA sequences of the plastid genes rbcL and atpB and the nuclear 18S rDNA for 560 species of angiosperms and seven non-flowering seed plants and show a well-resolved and well-supported phylogenetic tree for the angiosperms for use in comparative biology.     

A simple and effective method for total RNA isolation of appressoria in Magnaporthe oryzae

Appressorium formation is an important event in establishing a successful interaction between the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, and its host plant, rice. An understanding of molecular events occurring in appressorium differentiation will give new strategies to control rice blast. A quick and reliable method to extract total RNA from appressorium is essential for studying gene expression during appressorium formation and its mechanism. We found that duplicate film is an efficient substratum for appressorium formation, even when inoculated with high density conidia. When inoculated with conidia at 1 × 106 ml^-1, the percentages of conidium germination and appressorium formation were （97.98±0.67）% and （97.88±0.45）%, respectively. We applied Trizol before appressorium collection for total RNA isolation, and as much as 113.6 lag total RNA was isolated from the mature appressoria at 24 h after inoculation. Functional analysis of two genes, MNH6 and MgATG1, isolated from the cDNA subtractive library, revealed that the quantity of RNA was good enough to construct a cDNA （complementary DNA） library or a cDNA subtractive library. This method may be also applicable for the appressorium RNA isolation of other pathogenic fungi in which conidia differentiate into appressoria in the early stages of host infection.