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Expression of sorghum gene SbSGL enhances grain length and weight in rice

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Abstract

Grain weight is a major determining factor of rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield and the comprehensive embodiment of grain length, width, and thickness. Here, we describe the molecular and functional characterization of SbSGL (Sorghum bicolor L. stress tolerance and grain length), a sorghum gene that encodes a putative member of the DUF1645 protein family of unknown function. Expression of SbSGL in rice promoted cell division and grain filling, which affected an array of traits of rice, including grain length, grain weight, and seed setting rate. Expression of SbSGL also affected the expression of genes related to the plant cell cycle and grain size.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31401314, 31501393, and 31671671) and Hunan Province Natural Science Foundation of China (14JJ3146).

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Author notes

  1. Bin Zhang and Xin Zhang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China

    Bin Zhang, Xin Zhang, Guoyun Xu, Mingjuan Li, Yanchun Cui, Xuming Yin, Yan Yu, Xinjie Xia & Manling Wang

  2. College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, 417000, China

    Bin Zhang

  3. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China

    Xin Zhang

  4. Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Guoyun Xu

  5. Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, People’s Republic of China

    Manling Wang

Authors
  1. Bin Zhang
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  2. Xin Zhang
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  7. Yan Yu
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  9. Manling Wang
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Contributions

ZB constructed the vector, generated the transgenic plants, performed phenotypic analysis, and drafted the manuscript; ZX, XGY, and LMJ participated in function analysis of the transgenic plants; CYC, YXM, and YY analyzed the data; WML designed the experiment, supervised the work, and revised the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manling Wang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Zhang, B., Zhang, X., Xu, G. et al. Expression of sorghum gene SbSGL enhances grain length and weight in rice. Mol Breeding 38, 40 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-018-0799-9

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