Rice APC/C(TE) controls tillering by mediating the degradation of MONOCULM 1

Nat Commun. 2012 Mar 20:3:752. doi: 10.1038/ncomms1716.

Abstract

Rice MONOCULM 1 (MOC1) and its orthologues LS/LAS (lateral suppressor in tomato and Arabidopsis) are key promoting factors of shoot branching and tillering in higher plants. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating MOC1/LS/LAS have remained elusive. Here we show that the rice tiller enhancer (te) mutant displays a drastically increased tiller number. We demonstrate that TE encodes a rice homologue of Cdh1, and that TE acts as an activator of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) complex. We show that TE coexpresses with MOC1 in the axil of leaves, where the APC/C(TE) complex mediates the degradation of MOC1 by the ubiquitin-26S proteasome pathway, and consequently downregulates the expression of the meristem identity gene Oryza sativa homeobox 1, thus repressing axillary meristem initiation and formation. We conclude that besides having a conserved role in regulating cell cycle, APC/C(TE) has a unique function in regulating the plant-specific postembryonic shoot branching and tillering, which are major determinants of plant architecture and grain yield.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Division / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Homeodomain Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics
  • Meristem / genetics
  • Meristem / growth & development
  • Meristem / metabolism
  • Mutation
  • Oryza / genetics*
  • Oryza / growth & development
  • Oryza / metabolism*
  • Plant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Plant Proteins / genetics*
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Plant Shoots / genetics
  • Plant Shoots / metabolism
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex / metabolism
  • Schizosaccharomyces / genetics
  • Schizosaccharomyces / metabolism
  • Trans-Activators / biosynthesis
  • Trans-Activators / genetics
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes / metabolism*

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • OSH1 protein, Oryza sativa
  • Plant Proteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes
  • Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex
  • ATP dependent 26S protease