Study Reveals Genetic Secrets of Rice

A new study led by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands provides new insights on the evolution of rice, showing how the DNA of this valuable staple crop has changed across species. The study is expected to help with improving rice yields and introduce rice into regions where its production is currently untenable.

The researchers examined nine tetraploid and two diploid wild relatives of rice and found that the species could be distinguished by subsets of the genomes. These differences were mostly due to transposable elements, also known as jumping genes, because they are DNA sequences that move from one location in the genome to another, and a common natural means for creating genetic diversity. The study revealed the existence of diploid and tetraploid species, resulting in genomes that varied more than twice in size. In some of this massive DNA were genes that have strengthened the robustness of the plant against hotter temperatures, drier and saltier soil, and other environmental stresses common to the Middle East and increasing worldwide with climate change.

The study also determined the evolutionary tree of wild rice, showing when new species emerged, offering clues for when rice underwent significant stress that stimulated genomic changes for the plant to endure.

For more details, read the news release on the WUR website.