A serine/threonine protein kinase encoding gene KERNEL NUMBER PER ROW6 regulates maize grain yield

• Published in: Nature communications 2020-02, Vol.11 (1), p.988-988, Article 988
• Main Authors: Jia, Haitao, Li, Manfei, Li, Weiya, Liu, Lei, Jian, Yinan, Yang, Zhixing, Shen, Xiaomeng, Ning, Qiang, Du, Yanfang, Zhao, Ran, Jackson, David, Yang, Xiaohong, Zhang, Zuxin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 38/23; 38/39; 38/43; 38/77; 38/89; 631/208/8; 631/449/2491/2046; 631/449/711; 631/61/447/8; Chromosome Mapping; Corn; Crop yield; Edible Grain - enzymology; Edible Grain - genetics; Edible Grain - growth & development; Genes, Plant; Grain; GTPase-activating protein; GTPase-Activating Proteins - metabolism; Guanosine triphosphatases; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hybrids; Kernels; Kinases; multidisciplinary; Phenotype; Phosphorylation; Plant Breeding; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Productivity; Protein kinase; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Protein-serine/threonine kinase; Proteins; Quantitative Trait Loci; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Zea mays; Zea mays - enzymology; Zea mays - genetics; Zea mays - growth & development
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14746-7

Increasing grain yield of maize ( Zea mays L.) is required to meet the rapidly expanding demands for maize-derived food, feed, and fuel. Breeders have enhanced grain productivity of maize hybrids by pyramiding desirable characteristics for larger ears. However, loci selected for improving grain productivity remain largely unclear. Here, we show that a serine/threonine protein kinase encoding gene KERNEL NUMBER PER ROW6 (KNR6) determines pistillate floret number and ear length. Overexpression of KNR6 or introgression of alleles lacking the insertions of two transposable elements in the regulatory region of KNR6 can significantly enhance grain yield. Further in vitro evidences indicate that KNR6 can interact with an Arf GTPase-activating protein (AGAP) and its phosphorylation by KNR6 may affect ear length and kernel number. This finding provides knowledge basis to enhance maize hybrids grain yield. Selection of kernel number per ear has improved maize yield, but the genetic base is unclear. Here, the authors reveal that a serine/threonine protein kinase KNR6 is a positive regulator of the trait and show in vitro evidences that KNR6 may function through phosphorylating an Arf GTPase-activating protein.