ABSTRACT
Exposure to ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B) stress can have serious effects on the growth and development of plants. Germin-like proteins (GLPs) may be involved in different abiotic and biotic stress responses in different plants, but little is known about the role of GLPs in UV-B stress response and acclimation in plants. In the present study, knockout of GLP 8-14 (OsGLP1) using the CRISPR/Cas9 system resulted in mutant rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants (herein called glp1) that exhibited UV-B-dependent formation of lesion mimic in leaves. Moreover, glp1 grown under solar radiation (including UV-B) showed decreased plant height and increased leaf angle, but we observed no significant differences in phenotypes between wild-type (WT) plants and glp1 grown under artificial light lacking UV-B. Fv/Fm, Y (II) and the expression of many genes, based on RNA-seq analysis, related to photosynthesis were also only reduced in glp1, but not in WT, after transfer from a growth cabinet illuminated with artificial white light lacking UV-B to growth under natural sunlight. The genes-associated with flavonoid metabolism as well as UV resistance locus 8 (OsUVR8), phytochrome interacting factor-like 15-like (OsPIF3), pyridoxal 5'-phosphate synthase subunit PDX1.2 (OsPDX1.2), deoxyribodipyrimidine photolyase (OsPHR), and deoxyribodipyrimidine photolyase family protein-like (OsPHRL) exhibited lower expression levels, while higher expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase 5-like (OsMPK3), mitogen-activated protein kinase 13-like (OsMPK13), and transcription factor MYB4-like (OsMYB4) were observed in glp1 than in WT after transfer from a growth cabinet illuminated with artificial white light to growth under natural sunlight. Therefore, mutations in OsGLP1 resulted in rice plants more sensitive to UV-B and reduced expression of some genes for UV-B protection, suggesting that OsGLP1 is involved in acclimation to UV-B radiation.