Liquid--Liquid Phase Separation of OsvWA36 Fine-tunes Brassinosteroid Signaling and Leaf Angle in Rice

Liquid--Liquid Phase Separation of OsvWA36 Fine-tunes Brassinosteroid Signaling and Leaf Angle in Rice | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 30 December 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Liquid--Liquid Phase Separation of OsvWA36 Fine-tunes Brassinosteroid Signaling and Leaf Angle in Rice Authors : Hailian Zhou , Dongjin Qing , Weiwei Chen , Jingcheng Li , Yinghua Pan , Juan Huang , Hao Wu , … Show All … , Baiyi Lu , Yuanbao Lei , Yujing Peng , Xia Li , Chenli Zhu , Shoukun Chen , De Peng , Weiyong Zhou , Gaoxing Dai , and Guofu Deng [email protected] Show Fewer Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176707126.61313678/v1 Published Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Version of record Peer review timeline 112 views 56 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Rice leaf angle, a major determinant of plant architecture and yield potential, is tightly regulated by brassinosteroid (BR) signaling. Although the core BR pathway is well characterized, how BR responses are precisely controlled in space and time remains unclear. Here, we identify OsvWA36 , a novel regulator required to fine-tune BR signaling. The osvwa36 mutant exhibits typical BR-deficient phenotypes, including decreased leaf angle and reduced BR responsiveness, whereas ubiquitin promoter-driven expression of OsvWA36 confers BR hypersensitivity. We further show that the OsvWA36 protein undergoes intrinsically disordered region (IDR)-driven liquid–liquid phase separation to form dynamic condensates associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. These condensates facilitate a direct interaction between the OsvWA36 protein and the KNOX transcription factor OSH1. Genetic analyses indicate that OsvWA36 is necessary for full activation of the OSH1-regulated transcriptional program, including induction of BR catabolic genes (e.g., CYP734A2/4/6 ). In parallel, OsvWA36 broadly influences the expression of key activators of BR signaling and biosynthesis. Collectively, OsvWA36 integrates both positive and negative regulatory branches of the BR network to optimize leaf angle. These findings reveal a phase separation-based mechanism underlying hormone signaling and suggest that OsvWA36 is a promising target for the engineering of plant architecture. Supplementary Material File (main manuscript.doc) Download 35.22 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 30 December 2025 Peer review timeline Published Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Version of Record 1 Mar 2026 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords osvwa36 brassinosteroid signaling hormones intrinsically disordered region (idr) liquid–liquid phase separation signaling Authors Affiliations Hailian Zhou Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Dongjin Qing Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Weiwei Chen Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Jingcheng Li Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Yinghua Pan Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Juan Huang Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Hao Wu Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Baiyi Lu Guangxi University State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro BioResources View all articles by this author Yuanbao Lei Guangxi University State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro BioResources View all articles by this author Yujing Peng Guangxi University State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro BioResources View all articles by this author Xia Li Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Chenli Zhu Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Shoukun Chen Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author De Peng Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Weiyong Zhou Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Gaoxing Dai Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Guofu Deng [email protected] Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 112 views 56 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Hailian Zhou, Dongjin Qing, Weiwei Chen, et al. Liquid--Liquid Phase Separation of OsvWA36 Fine-tunes Brassinosteroid Signaling and Leaf Angle in Rice. Authorea . 30 December 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176707126.61313678/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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