Genetic analysis and mapping of high-tillering and dwarf mutant htd1-2 in rice

Abstract

Tillering is one of the most important agronomic traits of rice. In order to explore the molecular mechanism of rice tillering, a high-tillering dwarf 1-2 (htd1-2) mutant was isolated from the offspring of the indica rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) variety 9311 treated with 350Gy 60Co gamma-radiation. Genetic analysis showed that both high tillering and dwarf phenotypes of htd1-2 were controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. By means of molecular marker technique, the HIGH-TILLERING DWARF1-2(HTD1-2) gene was mapped between two CAPS markers A6 and E2 on chromosome 4 within 116 kilobases. Within this region, there is a cloned gene HIGH-TILLERING DWARF1(HTD1), which controls rice tillering. By comparing sequences of HTD1 between htd1-2 and 9311, in combination with the results from dCAPS analysis, we believed that HTD1 is an orthologue of the gene HTD1-2. Because of different genetic backgrounds, htd1 and htd1-2 have different phenotypes although they are the allelic mutants. Furthermore, removal of axillary buds proved that dwarfism of htd1-2 mutant is partly attributed to its excessive tillers.