Overexpression of the JAZ factors with mutated jas domains causes pleiotropic defects in rice spikelet development

In a determinate meristem, such as a floral meristem, a genetically determined number of organs are produced before the meristem is terminated. In rice, iterative formation of organs during flower development with defects in meristem determinacy, classically called ‘proliferation’, is caused by several mutations and observed in dependence on environmental conditions. Here we report that overexpression of several JAZ proteins, key factors in jasmonate signaling, with mutations in the Jas domains causes an increase in the numbers of organs in florets, aberrant patterns of organ formation and repetitious organ production in spikelets. Our results imply that JAZ factors modulate mechanisms that regulate meristem functions during spikelet development.     

High-resolution spatiotemporal transcriptome analyses during cellularization of rice endosperm unveil the earliest gene regulation critical for aleurone and starchy endosperm cell fate specification

Journal of Plant Research - The major tissues of the cereal endosperm are the starchy endosperm (SE) in the inner and the aleurone layer (AL) at the outer periphery. The fates of the cells that...