Background
SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-BOX gene OsSPL14 from rice is evaluated as the major gene for ideal plant architecture consisting of few unproductive tillers, more grains per spike and high lodging resistance stems. However, the function of its orthologous gene TaSPL14 in wheat is still unknown.
Results
Here, we reported the similarity and variation between TaSPL14 and OsSPL14. Similar to OsSPL14, TaSPL14 knock-out mutants exhibited decreased plant height, spike length, spikelet number, thousand-grain weight. Different from OsSPL14, TaSPL14 had no effect on tiller number. Transcriptome analysis genes related to ethylene response were significantly decreased in young spikes of TaSPL14 knockout mutants, compared with wild type. TaSPL14 directly binds to the promoters of the ethylene response gene TaEIL1 (EIN3-LIKE 1), TaRAP2.11 (ETHYLENE-RESPNSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 2.11) and TaERF1 (ETHYLENE-RESPNSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 1) and activities their expression, suggesting that TaSPL14 might regulate wheat spike development through ethylene response pathway.
Conclusions
TaSPL14 had similar function with OsSPL14 in regulating plant height, spike length, spikelet number and thousand-grain weight of wheat, and had different function in tiller development. TaSPL14 might regulate spike development through TaEIL1, TaRAP2.11 and TaERF1, not TaDEP1.The elucidation of TaSPL14 will contribute to exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying plant architecture of wheat.