OsMADS18, a membrane-bound MADS-box transcription factor, modulates plant architecture and the abscisic acid response in rice

Abstract

The APETALA1 (AP1)/FRUITFULL (FUL)-like transcription factor OsMADS18 plays diverse functions in rice development, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are far from fully understood. Here, we report that down-regulation of OsMADS18 expression in RNAi lines caused a delay in seed germination and young seedling growth, whereas the overexpression of OsMADS18 produced plants with fewer tillers. In targeted OsMADS18 genome-edited mutants (osmads18-cas9), an increased number of tillers, altered panicle size, and reduced seed setting were observed. The EYFP-OsMADS18 (full-length) protein was localized to the nucleus and plasma membrane but the EYFP-OsMADS18-N (N-terminus) protein mainly localized to the nucleus. The expression of OsMADS18 could be stimulated by abscisic acid (ABA), and ABA stimulation triggered the cleavage of HA-OsMADS18 and the translocation of OsMADS18 from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. The inhibitory effect of ABA on seedling growth was less effective in the OsMADS18-overexpressing plants. The expression of a set of ABA-responsive genes was significantly reduced in the overexpressing plants. The phenotypes of transgenic plants expressing EYFP-OsMADS18-N resembled those observed in the osmads18-cas9 mutants. Analysis of the interaction of OsMADS18 with OsMADS14, OsMADS15, and OsMADS57 strongly suggests an essential role for OsMADS18 in rice development.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Shi-Related Sequence Family and Functional Identification of GmSRS18 Involving in Drought and Salt Stresses in Soybean

“…Transcription factors play vital roles in plant growth and development and many transcription factors have been identified to be involved in a series of progresses responding to abiotic and biotic stresses and signaling networks of plant hormones [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. The annotation and structure analysis of many transcription factors in different plant species had been reported [50][51][52][53][54][55].…”

Functional Divergence of AP1 and FUL Genes Related to Flowering Regulation in Upland Cotton

“…In Arabidopsis, the function of the FUL gene mimics the function of the SMALL AUXIN UPREGULATED RNA 10 (SAUR10) gene in stems and inflorescence branches (Bemer et al 2017). In rice, the downregulated expression of OsMADS18 reportedly delays seed germination and young seedling growth, whereas the upregulated expression of OsMADS18 decreases the number of tillers (Yin et al 2019). Considering the tillering in wheat is similar to the bolting in Arabidopsis, this result indicates that GhFUL2 may have functions affecting plant architecture.…”

“…In rice, the AP1/FUL transcription factor gene OsMADS18 and its two paralogs OsMADS14 and OsMADS15 have different functions related to plant development. Both OsMADS14 and OsMADS15 specify the palea and lodicule identities (Wu et al 2017), whereas OsMADS18 is involved in delaying seed germination, altering plant architecture, and decreasing the number of tillers (Yin et al 2019). In Brachypodium distachyon (Poaceae species), four AP1/FUL paralogs have been identi ed, with only BdVRN1 expressed normally during a prolonged cold treatment; the ectopic expression of the other three genes reportedly leads to early owering and severe morphological alterations to oral organs (Li et al 2016).…”

Functional Divergence of AP1 And FUL Genes Related To Flowering Regulation In Upland Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.)

“…In woodland strawberry, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR4 (FaARF4) can be induced by Auxin and activated the oral meristem identity genes FaAP1 and FaFUL to promote owering (Dong et al 2021). The expression of OsMADS18 could be accelerated by abscisic acid (ABA), and ABA acceleration triggered the translocation of OsMADS18 in rice (Yin et al 2019).…”