Abstract
Deepwater rice is a unique ecotype that can be grown under deepwater conditions for several months. The most noticeable trait of deepwater rice is remarkable plant elongation along with the rise in water levels. The results of QTL analysis for deepwater rice character and positional cloning, we identified novel genes triggering deepwater response, Snorkel1 (SK1) and Snorkel2 (SK2). The functional analyses of SK1 and SK2 indicated that these genes were ERF type transcription factors which encoded AP2/ ERF domain and involved in signaling of gaseous phytohormone, ethylene. Furthermore, the results of physiological analyses indicated that ethylene and gibberellin were functioned concertedly for internode elongation under deepwater condition. Taken together, these results suggest that deepwater rice obtained SK1 and SK2 and constructed a new pathway which connects the two plant hormones, ethylene and gibberellin.
