IDENTIFICATION OF A NOVEL ALLELE OF THE SD1 GENE IN GUANGXI COMMON WILD RICE Y11 AND THE ACQUISITION OF DWARF PLANTS

To explore the novel function of the sd1 gene in the context of the “Green Revolution”, this study was conducted on Guangxi common wild rice Y11, which is genetically rich. The objective was to investigate its sd1 allele and verify its biological function using a gene editing system. Through genetic analysis, the sd1 allele of Y11 was successfully cloned and compared with those of Nihon Haru and "93-11" to identify allelic differences. It was deduced that the sd1 allele of Y11 is a strong allele. Subsequently, the coding sequence of the sd1 gene was cloned and sequenced to elucidate the gene structure and sequence characteristics. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the encoded protein possesses specific physicochemical properties and functional domains, and its tertiary structure exhibits a high degree of similarity to those of other varieties. By employing the CRISPR/Cas9 system, the editing vector CRISPR-sd1 was constructed with sd1 as the target gene. Pure sd1 mutants were obtained in the T0 generation of both transformation recipients, yielding plants with reduced height. This study demonstrated that the sd1 gene of Guangxi wild rice Y11 represents a strong allele for plant height that has not been exploited in cultivated rice. Gene editing produced materials with significant alterations in plant height, highlighting the value of utilizing this gene and providing an excellent allele target for future "new strain breeding." Additionally, it furnished a material and theoretical foundation for enhancing the excellent traits of rice.