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Originally published in Science Express on 23 June 2005
Science 29 July 2005:
Vol. 309. no. 5735, pp. 741 - 745
DOI: 10.1126/science.1113373
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Research Articles

Cytokinin Oxidase Regulates Rice Grain Production

Motoyuki Ashikari,1* Hitoshi Sakakibara,2* Shaoyang Lin,3 Toshio Yamamoto,3 Tomonori Takashi,3 Asuka Nishimura,3 Enrique R. Angeles,3 Qian Qian,4 Hidemi Kitano,1 Makoto Matsuoka1{dagger}

Most agriculturally important traits are regulated by genes known as quantitative trait loci (QTLs) derived from natural allelic variations. We here show that a QTL that increases grain productivity in rice, Gn1a, is a gene for cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (OsCKX2), an enzyme that degrades the phytohormone cytokinin. Reduced expression of OsCKX2 causes cytokinin accumulation in inflorescence meristems and increases the number of reproductive organs, resulting in enhanced grain yield. QTL pyramiding to combine loci for grain number and plant height in the same genetic background generated lines exhibiting both beneficial traits. These results provide a strategy for tailormade crop improvement.

1 Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
2 Plant Science Center, RIKEN, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan.
3 Honda Research Institute Japan Co., Ltd., Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818 Japan.
4 China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, 310006, China.

Published online 23 June 2005

Include this information when citing this paper.

* These authors contributed equally to this work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: makoto{at}agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp

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