The study is reported by Xiao-Feng Cao’s group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yuan-Zhu Yang from the Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co., Ltd.
Thermo-sensitive genic male-sterile (TGMS) lines are fertile at lower temperatures but male sterile above a critical sterility-inducing temperature (CSIT), which varies substantially across TGMS lines and is crucial for ensuring the seed production safety of two-line hybrid rice. The team identified a CSIT-related gene OsRqc1 , which encodes a rice ribosome-associated quality control 1 (Rqc1) homolog OsRqc1. OsRqc1 binds to OsVms1, helping it recruit 60S ribosomal subunits and acting as a structural adaptor between OsVms1 and stalled subunits. Consequently, in the absence of OsRqc1, cP-ΔCCA-tRNA accumulation decreases, and the levels of mature tRNAs are partially restored, thereby raising the CSIT in tms5 lines. Haplotype and allele frequency analyses suggested that the allelic variations of OsRqc1 could be employed as a novel tool for two-line hybrid breeding of japonica rice tms5 lines.
Science China Life Sciences