520YS , Encoding an Ankyrin Repeat Protein, is Involved in Chloroplast Development in Rice

Abstract BackgroundThe ankyrin repeat (ANK) proteins are widely distributed in organisms ranging from viruses to plants, which play key roles in plastid differentiation, embryogenesis, chloroplast biogenesis and so on. However, only a few ANK genes have been identified in rice.ResultsIn this study, we isolated a yellow-green leaf mutant, 520ys, from japonica rice cultivar Nipponbare through ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenesis. The mutant exhibited a yellow-green leaf phenotype throughout the life cycle, arrested development of chloroplasts, reduced levels of photosynthetic pigments, and accumulated reactive oxide species. Map-based cloning suggested that the candidate gene was LOC_Os07g33660, which encodes an expressed protein containing one ankyrin repeat and showing sequence similarity with the Arabidopsis LTD/GDC1 (At1g50900). Transgenic complementation experiment confirmed that LOC_Os07g33660 is the causal gene for the mutant type of 520ys. 520YS (LOC_Os07g33660) is mainly expressed in green tissues and its encoded protein is targeted to the chloroplast. In 520ys mutant, expression levels of four light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein translocation-related genes and eight photosynthesis-related genes were significantly down-regulated.ConclusionWe characterized a novel ANK gene, 520YS, which plays a key role in chloroplast development in rice.