近日，中国农业大学教授田丰及其研究团队发现来自大刍草（teosinte）的叶舌等位基因能够缩小植物结构，并增加高密度玉米产量。相关论文于2019年8月16日发表于国际著名学术期刊《科学》上。

研究人员克隆了UPA1（Upright Plant Architecture1）和UPA2基因，这两个数量性状基因座赋予了植物的直立结构。UPA2由一个2碱基序列的多态性调控，从而调节位于下游9.5千碱基的B3结构域转录因子（ZmRAVL1）表达。UPA2表现出与DRL1（DROOPING LEAF1）的差异结合，而DRL1与LG1（LIGULELESS1）物理相互作用并抑制LG1对ZmRAVL1的活化。ZmRAVL1调节brd1（油菜素内酯C-6氧化酶1），这是UPA1发挥其功能的基础，从而改变内源性油菜素内酯和叶夹角。减少叶夹角的UPA2等位基因起源于玉米的野生祖先大刍草，并且在玉米驯化期间已经丢失。将野生UPA2等位基因纳入现代杂交品种以及编辑ZmRAVL1能够增加高密度玉米产量。

据悉，种植密度的增加能够提高玉米产量。直立的植物结构有利于密集种植。

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田丰，中国农业大学农学院作物基因组与生物信息学系教授，博士生导师。主要研究方向：玉米驯化、适应遗传基础的系统解析；玉米重要驯化、适应位点的基因克隆和分子进化机制；玉米野生祖先种大刍草优良等位基因的发掘和利用；玉米复杂数量性状全基因组关联分析。（据中国农业大学）

附：英文原文

Title: Teosinte ligule allele narrows plant architecture and enhances high-density maize yields

Author: Jinge Tian, Chenglong Wang, Jinliang Xia, Lishuan Wu, Guanghui Xu, Weihao Wu, Dan Li, Wenchao Qin, Xu Han, Qiuyue Chen, Weiwei Jin, Feng Tian

Issue&Volume: Volume 365 Issue 6454

Abstract: Increased planting densities have boosted maize yields. Upright plant architecture facilitates dense planting. Here, we cloned UPA1 (Upright Plant Architecture1) and UPA2, two quantitative trait loci conferring upright plant architecture. UPA2 is controlled by a two-base sequence polymorphism regulating the expression of a B3-domain transcription factor (ZmRAVL1) located 9.5 kilobases downstream. UPA2 exhibits differential binding by DRL1 (DROOPING LEAF1), and DRL1 physically interacts with LG1 (LIGULELESS1) and represses LG1 activation of ZmRAVL1. ZmRAVL1 regulates brd1 (brassinosteroid C-6 oxidase1), which underlies UPA1, altering endogenous brassinosteroid content and leaf angle. The UPA2 allele that reduces leaf angle originated from teosinte, the wild ancestor of maize, and has been lost during maize domestication. Introgressing the wild UPA2 allele into modern hybrids and editing ZmRAVL1 enhance high-density maize yields.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aax5482

Source:https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6454/658