Gibberellins (GAs) are a large family of tetracyclic, diterpenoid plant hormones that induce a wide range of plant growth responses. It has been postulated that plants have two types of GA receptors, including soluble and membrane-bound forms. Recently, it was determined that the rice GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1 (GID1) gene encodes an unknown protein with similarity to the hormone-sensitive lipases that has high affinity only for biologically active GAs. Moreover, GID1 binds to SLR1, a repressor of GA signaling, in a GA-dependent manner in yeast cells. Based on these observations, it has been concluded that GID1 is a soluble receptor mediating GA signaling in rice. More recently, Arabidopsis thaliana was found to have three GID1 homologs, AtGID1a, b, and c, all of which bind GA and interact with the five Arabidopsis DELLA proteins.

How rice defeats the floodwaters: Deepwater rice varieties grow taller when flooded, in a growth response driven by the plant hormones gibberellin and ethylene. This keeps the leaves above the water. Kuroha et al. identified the genes underlying this phenotype, which encode a component of the gibberellin biosynthetic pathway and its regulatory ethylene-responsive transcription factor. This genetic relay drives growth of the plant stem internodes in response to flooding. Modern cultivated deepwater rice, which has been domesticated for adaptation to the monsoon season of Bangladesh, emerged from the genetic variation found in wild rice strains over a broader geographic region. Science , this issue p. 181

Grain weight is an important crop yield component; however, its underlying regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we identify a grain-weight quantitative trait locus (QTL) encoding a new-type GNAT-like protein that harbors intrinsic histone acetyltransferase activity (OsglHAT1). Our genetic and molecular evidences pinpointed the QTL-OsglHAT1’s allelic variations to a 1.2-kb region upstream of the gene body, which is consistent with its function as a positive regulator of the traits. Elevated OsglHAT1 expression enhances grain weight and yield by enlarging spikelet hulls via increasing cell number and accelerating grain filling, and increases global acetylation levels of histone H4. OsglHAT1 localizes to the nucleus, where it likely functions through the regulation of transcription. Despite its positive agronomical effects on grain weight, yield, and plant biomass, the rare allele elevating OsglHAT1 expression has so far escaped human selection. Our findings reveal the first example, to our knowledge, of a QTL for a yield component trait being due to a chromatin modifier that has the potential to improve crop high-yield breeding. Significance Grain weight is an important crop yield component; however, its underlying regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we identify a grain-weight quantitative trait locus (QTL) in rice encoding a new-type GNAT-like protein that harbors intrinsic histone acetyltransferase activity (OsglHAT1). Elevated OsglHAT1 expression enhances grain weight and yield by enlarging spikelet hulls via increasing cell number and accelerating grain filling, and increases global acetylation levels of histone H4. Our findings reveal the first example, to our knowledge, of a QTL for a yield component trait being due to a chromatin modifier that has the potential to improve crop high-yield breeding.

Epigenetic mutations confer heritable changes in gene expression that are not due to changes in the underlying sequence of the DNA. We identified a spontaneous rice mutant, Epi-d1 , that shows a metastable dwarf phenotype. The phenotype is mitotically and meiotically inheritable and corresponds to the metastable epigenetic silencing of the DWARF1 ( D1 ) gene. The silenced state is correlated with repressive histone and DNA methylation marks in the D1 promoter region but is not associated with DNA sequence alterations. Compared with other known epigenetic silenced loci in plants such as paramutable maize alleles and silent Arabidopsis genes, the Epi-d1 silencing phenomenon shows a high level of bidirectional metastable mutability. Epigenetic alleles such as Epi-d1 could thus provide for rapid adaptation under selective conditions.