Two florigens and a florigen-like protein form a triple regulatory module at the shoot apical meristem to promote reproductive transitions in rice.

Many plant species monitor and respond to changes in day length (photoperiod) for aligning reproduction with a favourable season. Day length is measured in leaves and, when appropriate, leads to the production of floral stimuli called florigens that are transmitted to the shoot apical meristem to initiate inflorescence development1. Rice possesses two florigens encoded by HEADING DATE 3a (Hd3a) and RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1)2. Here we show that the arrival of Hd3a and RFT1 at the shoot apical meristem activates FLOWERING LOCUS T-LIKE 1 (FT-L1), encoding a florigen-like protein that shows features partially differentiating it from typical florigens. FT-L1 potentiates the effects of Hd3a and RFT1 during the conversion of the vegetative meristem into an inflorescence meristem and organizes panicle branching by imposing increasing determinacy to distal meristems. A module comprising Hd3a, RFT1 and FT-L1 thus enables the initiation and balanced progression of panicle development towards determinacy.

D-type cyclin OsCYCD3;1 is involved in the maintenance of meristem activity to regulate branch formation in rice.

D-type cyclins (CYCDs) are involved in a wide range of biological processes, as one of the major regulators of cell cycle activity. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), three members of CYCD3 subgroup genes play important roles in plant development such as leaf development and branch formation. In rice (Oryza sativa), there is only one gene (OsCYCD3;1) belonging to the CYCD3 subgroup; its function is unknown. In this study, in order to elucidate the function of OsCYCD3;1, we generated knockout mutants of the gene and conducted developmental analysis. The knockout mutants showed a significantly reduced number of branches compared with a wild type, suggesting that OsCYCD3;1 promotes branch formation. Histological analysis showed that the activities of the axillary meristem and the shoot apical meristem (SAM) were compromised in these mutant plants. Our results suggest that OsCYCD3;1 promotes branch formation, probably by regulating cell division to maintain the activities of the axillary meristem and the SAM.

Suppression of Leaf Blade Development by BLADE-ON-PETIOLE Orthologs Is a Common Strategy for Underground Rhizome Growth.

Rhizomes are modified stems that grow horizontally underground in various perennial species, a growth habit that is advantageous for vigorous asexual proliferation. In Oryza longistaminata, a rhizomatous wild relative of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa), leaves in the aerial shoots consist of a distal leaf blade and a proximal leaf sheath [1]. Leaf blade formation is, however, suppressed in rhizome leaves. In O. sativa, BLADE-ON-PETIOLE (BOP) genes are the main regulators of proximal-distal leaf patterning [2]. During the juvenile phase of O. sativa, BOP expression is maintained at high levels by the small regulatory RNA microRNA156 (miR156), leading to formation of leaves consisting predominantly of the sheath. Here, we show that in O. longistaminata, high expression of BOPs caused by miR156 was responsible for suppression of the blade in rhizomes and that bop loss-of-function mutants produced leaves consisting of the leaf blade only. Rhizome growth in soil was also hampered in the mutants due to a severe reduction in rhizome tip stiffness. Leaf blade formation is also suppressed in the stolons of Zoysia matrella, a monocot species, and in the rhizomes of Houttuynia cordata, a dicot species, indicating that leaf blade suppression is widely conserved. We also show that strong expression of BOP homologs in both rhizome and stolon leaves rather than in aerial leaves is another conserved feature. We propose that suppression of the leaf blade by BOP is an evolutionary strategy that has been commonly recruited by both rhizomatous and stoloniferous species to establish their unique growth habit.

BLADE-ON-PETIOLE genes temporally and developmentally regulate the sheath to blade ratio of rice leaves.

Axis formation is a fundamental issue in developmental biology. Axis formation and patterning in plant leaves is crucial for morphology and crop productivity. Here, we reveal the basis of proximal-distal patterning in rice leaves, which consist of a proximal sheath, a distal blade, and boundary organs formed between these two regions. Analysis of the three rice homologs of the Arabidopsis BLADE-ON-PETIOLE1 (BOP1) gene indicates that OsBOPs activate proximal sheath differentiation and suppress distal blade differentiation. Temporal expression changes of OsBOPs are responsible for the developmental changes in the sheath:blade ratio. We further identify that the change in the sheath:blade ratio during the juvenile phase is controlled by the miR156/SPL pathway, which modifies the level and pattern of expression of OsBOPs. OsBOPs are also essential for differentiation of the boundary organs. We propose that OsBOPs, the main regulators of proximal-distal patterning, control temporal changes in the sheath:blade ratio of rice leaves.

BELL1-like homeobox genes regulate inflorescence architecture and meristem maintenance in rice.

Inflorescence architecture is diverse in angiosperms, and is mainly determined by the arrangement of the branches and flowers, known as phyllotaxy. In rice (Oryza sativa), the main inflorescence axis, called the rachis, generates primary branches in a spiral phyllotaxy, and flowers (spikelets) are formed on these branches. Here, we have studied a classical mutant, named verticillate rachis (ri), which produces branches in a partially whorled phyllotaxy. Gene isolation revealed that RI encodes a BELL1-type homeodomain transcription factor, similar to Arabidopsis PENNYWISE/BELLRINGER/REPLUMLESS, and is expressed in the specific regions within the inflorescence and branch meristems where their descendant meristems would soon initiate. Genetic combination of an ri homozygote and a mutant allele of RI-LIKE1 (RIL1) (designated ri ril1/+ plant), a close paralog of RI, enhanced the ri inflorescence phenotype, including the abnormalities in branch phyllotaxy and rachis internode patterning. During early inflorescence development, the timing and arrangement of primary branch meristem (pBM) initiation were disturbed in both ri and ri ril1/+ plants. These findings suggest that RI and RIL1 were involved in regulating the phyllotactic pattern of the pBMs to form normal inflorescences. In addition, both RI and RIL1 seem to be involved in meristem maintenance, because the ri ril1 double-mutant failed to establish or maintain the shoot apical meristem during embryogenesis.

Two-Color In Situ Hybridization: A Technique for Simultaneous Detection of Transcripts from Different Loci.

Over the years, in situ hybridization has been used for visualizing spatial gene expression patterns. Direct comparison of the expression patterns of different genes is useful for studying various biological activities in many situations. If we can distinguish signals derived from different probes in the same hybridization reaction, the localization of multiple gene transcripts can be detected simultaneously. In this chapter, we describe a two-color in situ hybridization procedure, which enables us to compare the expression patterns of two genes in a single tissue section. First, we explain how to prepare RNA probes and tissue samples. Then, we explain how to perform an in situ experiment, including pre-hybridization, hybridization, post-hybridization, and detection steps. A stepwise detection procedure is used to obtain the two color signals.

Three TOB1-related YABBY genes are required to maintain proper function of the spikelet and branch meristems in rice.

YABBY genes play important roles in the development of lateral organs such as leaves and floral organs in Angiosperms. However, the function of YABBY genes is poorly understood in monocots. We focused on three rice (Oryza sativa) YABBY genes, TONGARI-BOUSHI (TOB1, TOB2, TOB3), which are closely related to Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) FILAMENTOUS FLOWER (FIL). To elucidate the function of these YABBY genes, we employed a reverse genetic approach. TOB genes were expressed in bract and lateral organ primordia, but not in meristems. RNAi knockdown of TOB2 or TOB3 in the tob1 mutant caused abnormal spikelet development. Furthermore, simultaneous knockdown of both TOB2 and TOB3 in tob1 affected not only spikelet, but also inflorescence development. In severe cases, the inflorescences comprised naked branches without spikelets. Analysis of inflorescence development at an early stage showed that the observed phenotypic defects were closely associated with a failure to initiate and maintain reproductive meristems. These results indicate that the TOB genes regulate the maintenance and fate of all reproductive meristems. It is likely that the function of FIL/TOB clade YABBY genes has been conserved between Arabidopsis and rice to maintain the proper function of meristems, even though these genes are expressed in lateral organ primordia.

Analysis of Rhizome Development in Oryza longistaminata, a Wild Rice Species.

Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual propagation in plants. A wide range of plants develop rhizomes, modified stems that grow underground horizontally, as a means of vegetative reproduction. In rhizomatous species, despite their distinct developmental patterns, both rhizomes and aerial shoots derive from axillary buds. Therefore, it is of interest to understand the basis of rhizome initiation and development. Oryza longistaminata, a wild rice species, develops rhizomes. We analyzed bud initiation and growth of O. longistaminata rhizomes using various methods of morphological observation. We show that, unlike aerial shoot buds that contain a few leaves only, rhizome buds initiate several leaves and bend to grow at right angles to the original rhizome. Rhizomes are maintained in the juvenile phase irrespective of the developmental phase of the aerial shoot. Stem elongation and reproductive transition are tightly linked in the aerial shoots, but are uncoupled in the rhizome. Our findings indicate that developmental programs operate independently in the rhizomes and aerial shoots. Temporal modification of the developmental pathways that are common to rhizomes and aerial shoots may be the source of developmental plasticity. Furthermore, the creation of new developmental systems appears to be necessary for rhizome development.

A role for TRIANGULAR HULL1 in fine-tuning spikelet morphogenesis in rice.

The lemma and palea, which enclose the pistil, stamens, and lodicules, are the most conspicuous organs in the rice spikelet. We isolated a mutant line (ng6569) in which the lemma and palea were narrower than those of the wild type, and found that the mutant had a defect in TRIANGULAR HULL1 (TH1), which encodes a nuclear protein with an ALOG domain. Detailed morphological analysis indicated that the th1 mutation caused a reduction in the size of tubercles, which are convex structures on the surface of the lemma and palea. This reduction was more pronounced in the apical region of the lemma than in the basal region, resulting in the formation of a beak-like spikelet. By contrast, the number of tubercle rows and their spatial distribution on the lemma were not affected in the th1 mutant. Thus, the TH1 gene seems to be involved in fine-tuning the morphogenesis of the lemma and palea. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that TH1 was highly expressed in the primordia of the lemma and palea, but only weakly expressed in the primordia of the sterile lemma and rudimentary glume. We then examined the effect of th1 mutation on the lemma-like structure formed in the long sterile lemma/glume1 (g1) and extra glume1 (eg1) mutants. The result showed that the th1 mutation strongly affected the morphology of the extra lemma of eg1, but had no significant effect on the transformed lemma of g1.

Grass flower development.

Grasses bear unique flowers lacking obvious petals and sepals in special inflorescence units, the florets and the spikelet. Despite this, grass floral organs such as stamens and lodicules (petal homologs) are specified by ABC homeotic genes encoding MADS domain transcription factors, suggesting that the ABC model of eudicot flower development is largely applicable to grass flowers. However, some modifications need to be made for the model to fit grasses well: for example, a YABBY gene plays an important role in carpel specification. In addition, a number of genes are involved in the development of the lateral organs that constitute the spikelet. In this review, we discuss recent progress in elucidating the genes required for flower and spikelet development in grasses, together with those involved in fate determination of the spikelet and flower meristems.

The DROOPING LEAF and OsETTIN2 genes promote awn development in rice.

The awn is a long needle-like appendage that, in some grass species, is formed on the lemma that encloses floral organs together with the palea. In rice, most wild species and most strains of Oryza sativa ssp. indica generate an awn, whereas most strains of O. sativa ssp. japonica do not. In japonica, the long-awn characteristic appears to have been lost during domestication and breeding programs. Here, we found that the genes DROOPING LEAF (DL) and OsETTIN2 (OsETT2) are involved in awn development in the awned indica strain Kasalath. Genetic analyses and RNA-silencing experiments indicate that DL and OsETT2 act independently in awn formation, and that either gene alone is not sufficient for awn development. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the top region of the lemma (a putative awn primordium) is larger in an awned floret than in an awnless floret. OsETT2 is expressed in the awn primordium in the awned indica floret, but not in the awnless japonica floret except in the provascular bundle. DL is expressed underneath the primordium at similar levels in both indica and japonica florets, suggesting non-cell-autonomous action. We hypothesize that loss of expression of OsETT2 in the awn primordium is probably associated with the failure of awn formation in japonica strains.

Formation of two florets within a single spikelet in the rice tongari-boushi1 mutant.

Communication between the meristem and lateral organs plays important roles in plant development. The TONGARI-BOUSHI1 (TOB1) gene that encodes a YABBY transcription factor is involved in the regulation of meristem maintenance and fate determination of the meristem in rice spikelets. TOB1 is likely to act non-cell autonomously on the meristem, because as this gene is expressed in the lateral organ primordia but not in the meristem. Mutation in of the TOB1 gene results in pleiotropic phenotypes in the spikelet, such as abnormal morphology, formation of the two florets and premature termination of the meristem. Among these phenotypes, the formation of the two florets within a single spikelet is very unique, because one -floret per spikelet is a characteristics of the spikelet of the Oryza genus and is strictly regulated. Here, we describes the phenotype of the two-floret type spikelets and discuss the formation of this type of the spikelet in relation to the regulation of the meristem.

The YABBY gene TONGARI-BOUSHI1 is involved in lateral organ development and maintenance of meristem organization in the rice spikelet.

The meristem initiates lateral organs in a regular manner, and proper communication between the meristem and the lateral organs ensures the normal development of plants. Here, we show that mutation of the rice (Oryza sativa) gene TONGARI-BOUSHI1 (TOB1) results in pleiotropic phenotypes in spikelets, such as the formation of a cone-shaped organ instead of the lemma or palea, the development of two florets in a spikelet, or premature termination of the floret meristem, in addition to reduced growth of the lemma or palea and elongation of the awn. These phenotypes seem to result from not only failure in growth of the lateral organs, but also defects in maintenance and organization of the meristem. For example, the cone-shaped organ develops as a ring-like primordium from an initial stage, suggesting that regulation of organ initiation in the meristem may be compromised. TOB1 encodes a YABBY protein, which is closely related to FILAMENTOUS FLOWER in Arabidopsis thaliana, and is expressed in the lateral organ primordia without any patterns of polarization. No TOB1 expression is detected in the meristem, so TOB1 may act non-cell autonomously to maintain proper meristem organization and is therefore likely to play an important role in rice spikelet development.

Common and distinct mechanisms underlying the establishment of adaxial and abaxial polarity in stamen and leaf development.

Establishment of adaxial-abaxial polarity is essential for lateral organ development. A stamen consists of a bilaterally symmetrical anther and a radial filament. Using a rice mutant, rod-like lemma, in which establishment of adaxial-abaxial polarity is compromised, we found that stamen patterning is likely to be achieved by a unique regulatory mechanism: rearrangement of adaxial-abaxial polarity in the anther, and abaxialization in the filament. These regulations are not found in leaf development. Here, we discuss similarities and differences between the stamen and the leaf in the mechanisms underlying the establishment of adaxial-abaxial polarity. In addition, we propose the idea that the process of establishing adaxial-abaxial polarity in lateral organs is likely to be divided into two phases: a meristem-dependent, followed by a meristem-independent phase. In stamen development, the transition between these two phases is clearly observed as the rearrangement of expression patterns of the adaxial and abaxial marker genes.

Temporal and spatial regulation of DROOPING LEAF gene expression that promotes midrib formation in rice.

Genes involved in the differentiation and development of tissues and organs are temporally and spatially regulated in plant development. The DROOPING LEAF (DL) gene, a member of the YABBY gene family, promotes midrib formation in the leaf and carpel specification in the flower. Consistent with these functions, DL is initially expressed in the central region of the leaf primordia (presumptive midrib) and in the presumptive carpel primordia in the meristem. To understand the regulatory mechanism underlying DL expression, we tried to identify cis-regulatory regions required for temporal and spatial expression of this gene. We found that the cis region responsible for the presumptive midrib-specific expression in the leaf primordia is located in intron 2. Next, we confined the region to a sequence of about 200bp, which corresponds to a conserved non-coding sequence (CNS) identified by phylogenetic footprinting. In addition, a sequence termed DG1, incorporating a 5' upstream region of about 7.4kb, and introns 1 and 2, was shown to be sufficient to induce DL in the presumptive midrib, and to suppress it in other regions in the leaf primordia. By contrast, the regulatory region required for carpel-specific expression was not included in the DG1 sequence. We modified Oryza sativa (rice) plant architecture by expressing an activated version of DL (DL-VP16) in a precise manner using the DG1 sequence: the resulting transgenic plant produced a midrib in the distal region of the leaf blade, where there is no midrib in wild type, and formed more upright leaves compared with the wild type.

Distinct regulation of adaxial-abaxial polarity in anther patterning in rice.

Establishment of adaxial-abaxial polarity is essential for lateral organ development. The mechanisms underlying the polarity establishment in the stamen remain unclear, whereas those in the leaf are well understood. Here, we investigated a rod-like lemma (rol) mutant of rice (Oryza sativa), in which the development of the stamen and lemma is severely compromised. We found that the rod-like structure of the lemma and disturbed anther patterning resulted from defects in the regulation of adaxial-abaxial polarity. Gene isolation indicated that the rol phenotype was caused by a weak mutation in SHOOTLESS2 (SHL2), which encodes an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and functions in trans-acting small interfering RNA (ta-siRNA) production. Thus, ta-siRNA likely plays an important role in regulating the adaxial-abaxial polarity of floral organs in rice. Furthermore, we found that the spatial expression patterns of marker genes for adaxial-abaxial polarity are rearranged during anther development in the wild type. After this rearrangement, a newly formed polarity is likely to be established in a new developmental unit, the theca primordium. This idea is supported by observations of abnormal stamen development in the shl2-rol mutant. By contrast, the stamen filament is likely formed by abaxialization. Thus, a unique regulatory mechanism may be involved in regulating adaxial-abaxial polarity in stamen development.

FON2 SPARE1 redundantly regulates floral meristem maintenance with FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER2 in rice.

CLAVATA signaling restricts stem cell identity in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) in Arabidopsis thaliana. In rice (Oryza sativa), FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER2 (FON2), closely related to CLV3, is involved as a signaling molecule in a similar pathway to negatively regulate stem cell proliferation in the floral meristem (FM). Here we show that the FON2 SPARE1 (FOS1) gene encoding a CLE protein functions along with FON2 in maintenance of the FM. In addition, FOS1 appears to be involved in maintenance of the SAM in the vegetative phase, because constitutive expression of FOS1 caused termination of the vegetative SAM. Genetic analysis revealed that FOS1 does not need FON1, the putative receptor of FON2, for its action, suggesting that FOS1 and FON2 may function in meristem maintenance as signaling molecules in independent pathways. Initially, we identified FOS1 as a suppressor that originates from O. sativa indica and suppresses the fon2 mutation in O. sativa japonica. FOS1 function in japonica appears to be compromised by a functional nucleotide polymorphism (FNP) at the putative processing site of the signal peptide. Sequence comparison of FOS1 in about 150 domesticated rice and wild rice species indicates that this FNP is present only in japonica, suggesting that redundant regulation by FOS1 and FON2 is commonplace in species in the Oryza genus. Distribution of the FNP also suggests that this mutation may have occurred during the divergence of japonica from its wild ancestor. Stem cell maintenance may be regulated by at least three negative pathways in rice, and each pathway may contribute differently to this regulation depending on the type of the meristem. This situation contrasts with that in Arabidopsis, where CLV signaling is the major single pathway in all meristems.

Molecular characterization the YABBY gene family in Oryza sativa and expression analysis of OsYABBY1.

Members of the YABBY gene family have a general role that promotes abaxial cell fate in a model eudicot, Arabidopsis thaliana. To understand the function of YABBY genes in monocots, we have isolated all YABBY genes in Oryza sativa (rice), and revealed the spatial and temporal expression pattern of one of these genes, OsYABBY1. In rice, eight YABBY genes constitute a small gene family and are classified into four groups according to sequence similarity, exon-intron structure, and organ-specific expression patterns. OsYABBY1 shows unique spatial expression patterns that have not previously been reported for other YABBY genes, so far. OsYABBY1 is expressed in putative precursor cells of both the mestome sheath in the large vascular bundle and the abaxial sclerenchyma in the leaves. In the flower, OsYABBY1 is specifically expressed in the palea and lemma from their inception, and is confined to several cell layers of these organs in the later developmental stages. The OsYABBY1-expressing domains are closely associated with cells that subsequently differentiate into sclerenchymatous cells. These findings suggest that the function of OsYABBY1 is involved in regulating the differentiation of a few specific cell types and is unrelated to polar regulation of lateral organ development.

Conservation and diversification of meristem maintenance mechanism in Oryza sativa: Function of the FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER2 gene.

To elucidate the genetic mechanism that regulates meristem maintenance in monocots, here we have examined the function of the gene FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER2 (FON2) in Oryza sativa (rice). Mutations in FON2 cause enlargement of the floral meristem, resulting in an increase in the number of floral organs, although the vegetative and inflorescence meristems are largely normal. Molecular cloning reveals that FON2 encodes a small secreted protein, containing a CLE domain, that is closely related to CLAVATA3 in Arabidopsis thaliana. FON2 transcripts are localized at the apical region in all meristems in the aerial parts of rice plants, showing an expression pattern similar to that of Arabidopsis CLV3. Constitutive expression of FON2 causes a reduction in the number of floral organs and flowers, suggesting that both the flower and inflorescence meristems are reduced in size. This action of FON2 requires the function of FON1, an ortholog of CLV1. Constitutive expression of FON2 also causes premature termination of the shoot apical meristem in Arabidopsis, a phenotype similar to that caused by constitutive expression of CLV3. Together with our previous study of FON1, these results clearly indicate that the FON1-FON2 system in rice corresponds to the CLV signaling system in Arabidopsis and suggest that the negative regulation of stem cell identity by these systems may be principally conserved in a wide range of plants within the Angiosperms. In addition, we propose a model of the genetic regulation of meristem maintenance in rice that includes an alternative pathway independent of FON2-FON1.