Grain size and flag leaf angle are two important traits that determining grain yield in rice. However, the mechanisms regulating these two traits remain largely unknown. In this study, a rice long grain 5 (lg5) mutant with a large flag leaf angle was identified, and map-based cloning revealed that a single base substitution followed by a 2 bp insertion in the LOC_Os05g40384 gene resulted in larger grains, a larger flag leaf angle, and higher plant height than the wild type. Sequence analysis revealed that lg5 is a novel allele of elongated uppermost internode-1 (EUI1), which encodes a cytochrome P450 protein. Functional complementation and overexpression tests showed that LG5 can rescue the bigger grain size and larger flag leaf angle in the Xiushui11 (XS) background. Knockdown of the LG5 transcription level by RNA interference resulted in elevated grain size and flag leaf angle in the Nipponbare (NIP) background. Morphological and cellular analyses suggested that LG5 regulated grain size and flag leaf angle by promoting cell expansion and cell proliferation. Our results provided new insight into the functions of EUI1 in rice, especially in regulating grain size and flag leaf angle, indicating a potential target for the improvement of rice breeding.
Keywords: LG5; flag leaf angle; grain size; grain weight; rice.