OsMADS32 is a monocot specific MIKCc type MADS‐box gene that plays an important role in regulating rice floral meristem and organs identity, a crucial process for reproductive success and rice yield. However, its underlying mechanism of action remains to be clarified. Here, we characterized a hypomorphic mutant allele of OsMADS32/CFO1, cfo1‐3 and identified its function in controlling rice flower development by bioinformatics and protein‐protein interaction analysis. The cfo1‐3 mutant produces defective flowers, including loss of lodicule identity, formation of ectopic lodicule or hull‐like organs and decreased stamen number, mimicking phenotypes related to the mutation of B class genes. Molecular characterization indicated that mis‐splicing of OsMADS32 transcripts in the cfo1‐3 mutant resulted in an extra eight amino acids in the K‐domain of OsMADS32 protein. By yeast two hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence comple-mentation assays, we revealed that the insertion of eight amino acids or deletion of the internal region in the K1 subdomain of OsMADS32 affects the interaction between OsMADS32 with PISTILLATA （PI）‐like proteins OsMADS2 and OsMADS4. This work provides new insight into the mecha-nism by which OsMADS32 regulates rice lodicule and stamen identity, by interaction with two PI‐like proteins via its K domain.
DNA markers play important roles in plant breed- ing and genetics. The Insertion/Deletion （InDel） marker is one kind of co-dominant DNA markers widely used due to its low cost and high precision. However, the canonical way of searching for InDel markers is time-consuming and labor- intensive. We developed an end-to-end computational solution （InDel Markers Development Platform, IMDP） to identify genome-wide InDel markers under a graphic pipeline environment. IMDP constitutes assembled genome sequen- ces alignment pipeline （AGA-pipe） and next-generation re- sequencing data mapping pipeline （NGS-pipe）. With AGA-pipe we are able to identify 12,944 markers between the genome of rice cultivars Nipponbare and 93-11. Using NGS-pipe, we reported 34,794 InDels from re-sequencing data of rice cultivars Wu-Yun-Geng7 and Guang-Lu-Ai4. Combining AGA- pipe and NGS-pipe, we developed 2o5,659 InDels in eight japonica and nine indica cultivars and 2,681 InDels showed a subgroup-specific pattern. Polymerase chain reaction （PCR） analysis of subgroup-specific markers indicated that the precision reached 90% （86 of 95）. Finally, to make them available to the public, we have integrated the InDels/markers information into a website （Rice InDel Marker Database, RIMD, http：I/2o2.12o.45.71/）. The application of IMDP in rice will facilitate efficiency for development of genome-wide InDel markers, in addition it can be used in other species with reference genome sequences and NGS data.
Yang LXiao CuiRui LiPiaopiao HuangJie ZongDanqing YaoGang LiDabing ZhangZheng Yuan
Anther cuticle and pollen exine act as protective envelopes for the male gametophyte or pollen grain, but the mechanism underlying the synthesis of these lipidic polymers remains unclear. Previously, a tapetum‐expressed CYP703A3, a putative cytochrome P450 fatty acid hydroxylase, was shown to be essential for male fertility in rice（Oryza sativa L.）. However,the biochemical and biological roles of CYP703A3 has not been characterized. Here, we observed that cyp703a3‐2 caused by one base insertion in CYP703A3 displays defective pollen exine and anther epicuticular layer, which differs from Arabidopsis cyp703a2 in which only defective pollen exine occurs. Consistently, chemical composition assay showed that levels of cutin monomers and wax components were dramatically reduced in cyp703a3‐2 anthers. Unlike the wide range of substrates of Arabidopsis CYP703A2, CYP703A3 functions as an in‐chain hydroxylase only for a specific substrate, lauric acid, preferably generating 7‐hydroxylated lauric acid. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation and expression analyses revealed that the expression of CYP703A3 is directly regulated by Tapetum Degeneration Retardation, a known regulator of tapetum PCD and pollen exine formation. Collectively, our results suggest that CYP703A3 represents a conserved and diversified biochemical pathway for in‐chain hydroxylation of lauric acid required for the development of male organ in higher plants.
