Abstract
The seed-shattering gene, qSH1 encodes a BEL-type homeobox gene highly similar to Arabidopsis REPLUMLESS (RPL) gene and is required for the formation of abscission layer in rice. Since BEL and KNOX type homeobox genes can form a heterodimmer and control the downstream genes in Arabidopsis, we looked for the ortholog of BP gene, the hetrodimer partner of KNOX-type homeobox for RPL and found that it's the OSH15 in rice. We next crossed the d6 (osh15) mutant plant with a nearly-isogenic line of qSH1 and analyzed their progeny. The results revealed that the OSH15 played a role for the seed-hattering. A complementation test further proved that OSH15 is another seed-shattering gene of rice. Histological analysis suggested that OSH15 might be involved in the degradation process of abscission layer in rice rather than the formation. Now we are performing a microarray analysis to identify the gene involved in this process.
