Crop Biotech Update

Researchers Target OsRBCS3 for Improving Rice Chilling Tolerance

February 28, 2024

Researchers from the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Science reported improved chilling tolerance in rice by overexpression of the OsRBCS3 gene. Their findings are published in the Plant Signaling & Behavior journal.

Chilling stress is an essential environmental factor impacting rice production. The booting stage is the most sensitive stage in rice growth to chilling stress. The research team focused on OsRBCS3, a gene linked with chilling tolerance, specifically at the booting stage, and encodes a key enzyme in photosynthesis.

The expression levels of the gene under chilling stress were compared in two japonica rice cultivars that exhibit varying chilling tolerances. Results showed a positive correlation between OsRBCS3 expression and chilling tolerance. Through CRISPR, overexpression and knock-out lines of OsRBCS3 were developed and assessed. Higher chilling tolerance was observed in overexpressed lines than wild-type lines at both seedling and booting stages, while knock-out lines showed lower chilling tolerance than the wild-type.

The results confirmed that OsRBCS3 is vital in rice chilling tolerance at the booting stage.

Read the research article for more details.


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