Genetic and developmental biology research institute of agricultural resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences research center researcher with the Chinese academy of agricultural sciences institute of crop science cooperation of scientific research personnel, and illustrates the hanging of foxtail millet leaf gene as a "brake" br hormone signal how genes regulate a hanging and erect leaves, as the gramineous crop plant research opens a new window.

Leaf is the main organ of photosynthesis and organic synthesis in crops, and leaf morphological formation is related to plant type, which can directly affect crop planting density and yield. In order to improve photosynthesis and yield of crops under dense planting conditions, upright and compact leaves were sought in crop breeding.Brassinolactone is an important plant growth and development regulation hormone. There have been a lot of in-depth studies on the mechanism of brassinolactone signal regulating the Angle between leaves and stems, but there is still a lack of understanding on the genetic basis of leaf erect and drooping, which restricts the efficiency and level of cereal plant type improvement.

In the study, the researchers cloned the gene that controls the drape of the leaves of millet using mutants of severely drape leaves. Study found that the gene encoding a new membrane protein receptor kinase, and its coding protein receptor of br through intracellular kinase structure interactions, they br interactions between receptors and receptor level, thus, in the form of negative feedback inhibit the excessive activation of early br signal, therefore, hanging leaf genes played a "brake". This process can promote the division of distal thick-walled cells and the deposition of lignin in the midvein of the leaves, thus improving the supporting force of the leaves and promoting their orthotropism. In addition, the researchers demonstrated that this mechanism is conserved and Shared in gramineous crops by means of the corn draping leaf gene reseeding mutant test.

Time: 2020.08.20

Source:  http://news.sciencenet.cn/dz/dznews_photo.aspx?t=&id=34909