美国俄克拉荷马州立大学Liuling Yan和Brett F. Carver研究组合作发现了TaCol-B5改变小麦穗结构，提高其产量。2022年4月8日出版的《科学》杂志发表了科学家的一项最新研究成果。

他们报告了基于图谱的基因克隆，该克隆确定了普通小麦中每个穗状花序的小穗节数。克隆的基因被命名为 TaCOL-B5，它编码一种与植物物种中的 COL5 直系同源的 CONSTANS 样蛋白。在普通小麦品种中，显性 TaCol-B5 （但缺乏编码 B-box 的区域）等位基因的组成型过表达会增加每个穗的小穗节数并产生更多的分蘖和穗，从而提高转基因植物在田间条件下的谷物产量。TaCOL-B5 中的等位基因变异导致氨基酸取代，导致蛋白激酶 TaK4 的差异蛋白磷酸化。TaCol-B5 等位基因存在于二粒小麦中，但在全球现代小麦品种中很少见。

据悉，穗结构影响小麦的谷物产量。

附：英文原文

Title: TaCol-B5 modifies spike architecture and enhances grain yield in wheat

Author: Xiaoyu Zhang, Haiyan Jia, Tian Li, Jizhong Wu, Ragupathi Nagarajan, Lei Lei, Carol Powers, Chia-Cheng Kan, Wei Hua, Zhiyong Liu, Charles Chen, Brett F. Carver, Liuling Yan

Issue&Volume: 2022-04-08

Abstract: Spike architecture influences grain yield in wheat. We report the map-based cloning of a gene determining the number of spikelet nodes per spike in common wheat. The cloned gene is named TaCOL-B5 and encodes a CONSTANS-like protein that is orthologous to COL5 in plant species. Constitutive overexpression of the dominant TaCol-B5 allele but without the region encoding B-boxes in a common wheat cultivar increases the number of spikelet nodes per spike and produces more tillers and spikes, thereby enhancing grain yield in transgenic plants under field conditions. Allelic variation in TaCOL-B5 results in amino acid substitutions leading to differential protein phosphorylation by the protein kinase TaK4. The TaCol-B5 allele is present in emmer wheat but is rare in a global collection of modern wheat cultivars.

DOI: abm0717

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm0717