Open Access

ARTICLE

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Yellow Leaf Mutant yl1 in Rice

Xiaofang Zeng^1,#, Guangzheng Li^1,#, Nu’an Liu², Yan Li¹, Jianrong Li¹, Xiaozhen Huang¹, Degang Zhao^1,2,,*

1 Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Institute of Agro-Bioengineering and College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
2 Guizhou Plant Conservation Technology Center, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, 550006, China

* Corresponding Author: Degang Zhao. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this study

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: High-Yield Rice Physiology & Genetics)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2022, 91(11), 2419-2437. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2022.021199

Received 02 January 2022; Accepted 03 March 2022; Issue published 12 July 2022

Abstract

Leaf-color mutants play an important role in the study of chlorophyll metabolism, chloroplast development, and photosynthesis system. In this study, the yellow leaf 1 (yl1) rice mutant was identified from the ethyl methane sulfonate-treated mutant progeny of Lailong, a glutinous japonica rice landrace cultivated in Guizhou Province, China. Results showed that yl1 exhibited yellow leaves with decreased chlorophyll content throughout the growth period. Chloroplast development in the yl1 mutant was disrupted, and the grana lamellae was loosely packed and disordered. RNA sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that the chlorophyll synthesis-related genes OsCHLH, OsCHLM, OsCHLG, PORB, and YGL8, as well as the chloroplast development-related genes FtsZ, OsRpoTp, and RbcL, were down-regulated in the yl1 mutant. Genetic analysis revealed that the yellow leaf phenotype of yl1 was controlled by recessive nuclear gene. By employing the MutMap method, the mutation responsible for the phenotype was mapped to a 6.17 Mb region between 17.34 and 23.51 Mb on chromosome 3. Two non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the gene locus LOC_Os03g31210 and LOC_Os03g36760 were detected in this region. The two SNPs were further confirmed by PCR and Sanger sequencing. The expression patterns of the two candidate genes indicated that LOC_Os03g36760 showed greater potential for functional verification. Subcellular protein localization revealed that the encoded product of LOC_Os03g36760 was localized in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and plasma membrane. These results will be useful for further characterization and cloning of the yl1 gene, and for research on the molecular mechanisms controlling biogenesis and chloroplast biochemical processes.

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