Abstract
Hull opening is a key physiological process during reproductive development, strongly affecting the subsequent fertilization and seed development in rice. In this study, we characterized a rice mutant, non-open hull 1 (noh1), which was derived from ethylmethane-sulfonate (EMS)-treated Xinong 1B (Oryza sativa L.). All the spikelets of noh1 developed elongated and thin lodicules, which caused the failure of hull opening and the cleistogamy. In some spikelets of the noh1, sterile lemmas transformed into hull-like organs. qPCR analysis indicated that the expression of A- and E-function genes was significantly upregulated, while the expression of some B-function genes was downregulated in the lodicules of noh1. In addition, the expression of A-function genes was significantly upregulated, while the expression of some sterile-lemma maker genes was downregulated in the sterile lemma of noh1. These data suggested that the lodicule and sterile lemma in noh1 mutant gained glume-like and lemma-like identity, respectively. Genetic analysis showed that the noh1 trait was controlled by a single recessive gene. The NOH1 gene was mapped between the molecular markers ZJ-9 and ZJ-25 on chromosome 1 with a physical region of 60 kb, which contained nine annotated genes. These results provide a foundation for the cloning and functional research of NOH1 gene.
Highlights
Rice floret contains four whorls of floral organs, which are made up of one lemma, one palea, two lodicules, six stamens, and one carpel from outside to inside, respectively [1]
Hull opening is a necessary condition for plant fertilization, and hull closing protects the development of seed from outside interference after fertilization
The lodicule is a grass-specific organ that is generally regarded as a homolog of dicot petal
Summary
Rice floret contains four whorls of floral organs, which are made up of one lemma, one palea, two lodicules, six stamens, and one carpel from outside to inside, respectively [1]. During the flowering date, the lemma and palea in each floret open once from 09:00 to 11:00 under normal circumstances. This process generally lasts 40 to 90 min and the lemma and palea close and never reopen. These two actions are called hull opening (the lemma and the palea together are called a hull) and hull closing, respectively. Hull opening is a necessary condition for plant fertilization, and hull closing protects the development of seed from outside interference after fertilization
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