Digital gene expression analysis reveals nitrogen fertilizer increases panicle size by repressing Hd3a signaling in rice

作者：Ding, Chengqiang; Wang, Yan; You, Siliang; Liu, Zhenghui; Wang, Shaohua; Ding, Yanfeng^*

来源：Plant Growth Regulation, 2016, 79(1): 47-54.

DOI：10.1007/s10725-015-0108-0

• Digital gene expression (DGE)
• Hd3a signaling
• Nitrogen fertilizer
• Rice
• Spikelet
• Panicle

Nitrogen fertilizer significantly increases spikelet number and grain yield in rice. Although many transcriptome analyses of rice have been conducted, this is the first study to examine differential gene expression in young panicles of rice in response to nitrogen fertilizer. Digital gene expression tag profiling is a revolutionary approach for gene expression analysis. Here, differential gene expression was analyzed in young panicles that received different applications of fertilizer. Digital gene expression analysis identified hundreds of genes that significantly differed in their expression level after the plants received nitrogen treatment. Of note, nitrogen fertilizer significantly reduced several major photoperiod sensitivity regulators that trigger flowering in rice. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis also showed that the expression of two florigen genes, Heading date 3a (Hd3a) and RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1), was repressed in leaves by nitrogen fertilizer. In addition, the expression of two important genes that control panicle size, OsEATB and DENSE AND ERECT PANICLE1 (DEP1), was significantly promoted by nitrogen fertilizer. The identification of novel differentially expressed genes provides new insights into the profound impacts of nitrogen fertilizer on panicle development and may suggest new strategies to improve yield in rice.

• 出版日期2016-5
• 单位南京农业大学