Abstract
Plant architecture is critical for enhancing the adaptability and productivity of crop plants. Mutants with an altered plant architecture allow researchers to elucidate the genetic network and the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we characterized a novel nal1 rice mutant with short height, small panicle, and narrow and thick deep green leaves that was identified from a cross between a rice cultivar and a weedy rice accession. Bulked segregant analysis coupled with genome re-sequencing and cosegregation analysis revealed that the overall mutant phenotype was caused by a 1395-bp deletion spanning over the last two exons including the transcriptional end site of the nal1 gene. This deletion resulted in chimeric transcripts involving nal1 and the adjacent gene, which were validated by a reference-guided assembly of transcripts followed by PCR amplification. A comparative transcriptome analysis of the mutant and the wild-type rice revealed 263 differentially expressed genes involved in cell division, cell expansion, photosynthesis, reproduction, and gibberellin (GA) and brassinosteroids (BR) signaling pathways, suggesting the important regulatory role of nal1. Our study indicated that nal1 controls plant architecture through the regulation of genes involved in the photosynthetic apparatus, cell cycle, and GA and BR signaling pathways.
Highlights
Plant architecture is a three-dimensional arrangement of plant organs [1]
The leaf vascular systems of Cypress and W149 showed no significant differences in the number of major/large veins (LV), but the reduction in minor/small veins (SV) between LV was apparent in W149
While most studies focused on the impacts and utility of this gene for crop improvement using natural variants [14,15,16], few studies provided a molecular basis of the physiological impacts on rice plant using mutants [13,19,23]
Summary
Plant architecture is a three-dimensional arrangement of plant organs [1] It plays an important role in enhancing agronomically important traits and the adaptability of plants. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying rice plant architecture provides a foundation for designing crop plants that can efficiently harvest light energy, absorb nutrients, resist diseases and pests, and accommodate high-density planting for improved crop yield and quality. The availability of genome sequences, and genetic and physical maps of crop plants is accelerating the cloning and molecular genetic characterization of traits relevant for agronomic and evolutionary studies. Mutants that are defective in plant architecture allow researchers to elucidate the genetic network and the underlying mechanisms that can aid in manipulating plant ideotype for crop improvement [1,4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
