Ren De-yong;Li Yun-feng;Wang Zeng;Xu Fang-fang;Guo Shuang;Zhao Fang-ming;Sang Xian-chun;Ling Ying-hua;He Guang-hua

Southwest Univ, Rice Res Inst, Key Lab Applicat & Safety Control Genetically Mod, Chongqing 400716, Peoples R China

empty glume;gene mapping;mfs1 mutant;rice (Oryza sativa L.);spikelet

In this study, a rice spikelet mutant, multi-floret spikelet 1 (mfs1), which was derived from ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS)treated Jinhui 10 (Oryza saliva L. ssp. indica) exhibited pleiotropic defects in spikelet development. The mfs1 spikelet displayed degenerated the empty glume, elongated the rachilla, the extra lemma-like organ and degraded the palea. Additionally, mfs1 flowers produced varied numbers of inner floral organs. The genetic analysis revealed that the mutational trait was controlled by a single recessive gene. With 401 recessive individuals from the F-2 segregation population, the MFS1 gene was finally mapped on chromosome 5, an approximate 350 kb region. The present study will be useful for cloning and functional analysis of MFS1, which would facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in spikelet development in rice.