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Abstract: We previously reported a spotted‐leaf mutant pelota (originally termed HM47) in rice displaying arrested growth and enhanced resistance to multiple races of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Here, we report the map‐based cloning of the causal gene OsPELOTA (originally termed splHM47). We identified a single base substitution from T to A at position 556 in the coding sequence of OsPELOTA, effectively mutating phenylalanine to isoleucine at position 186 in the translated protein sequence. Both functional complementation and over‐expression could rescue the spotted‐leaf phenotype. OsPELOTA, a paralogue to eukaryotic release factor 1 (eRF1), shows high sequence similarity to Drosophila Pelota and also localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane. OsPELOTA is constitutively expressed in roots, leaves, sheaths, stems, and panicles. Elevated levels of salicylic acid and decreased level of jasmonate were detected in the pelota mutant. RNA‐seq analysis confirmed that genes responding to salicylic acid were upregulated in the mutant. Our results indicate that the rice PELOTA protein is involved in bacterial leaf blight resistance by activating the salicylic acid metabolic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycium amarum sp. nov. L. Q. Huang is described based on its general morphology and pollen micromorphology, which were compared with closely related Lycium species. The phylogenetic relationships among the new species and closely related Lycium species belonging to the tribe Lycieae were investigated based on the DNA sequence data of the granule-bound starch synthase (GBSSI) gene. Morphologically, L. amarum is similar to L. chinense Mill. sharing lanceolate or linear-oblanceolate leaves, three-lobed calyx, villous ring slightly above the filament base, and adjacent corolla tube, however, L. amarum may be diagnosed by its prominent tubercles at the base of spines, thinly leathery leaves, and a two-tine crack on the tip of calyx lobes. According to our results, the new species is close to L. barbarum L., L. chinense, L. dasystemum Pojark, and L. yunnanense Kuang & Lu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A premature senescence and death 128 ( psd128) mutant was isolated from an ethyl methane sulfonate-induced rice IR64 mutant bank. The premature senescence phenotype appeared at the six-leaf stage and the plant died at the early heading stage. psd128 exhibited impaired chloroplast development with significantly reduced photosynthetic ability, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, root vigor, soluble protein content and increased malonaldehyde content. Furthermore, the expression of senescence-related genes was significantly altered in psd128. The mutant trait was controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. Using map-based strategy, the mutation Oryza sativa cell division cycle 48 ( OsCDC48) was isolated and predicted to encode a putative AAA-type ATPase with 809 amino-acid residuals. A single base substitution at position C2347T in psd128 resulted in a premature stop codon. Functional complementation could rescue the mutant phenotype. In addition, RNA interference resulted in the premature senescence and death phenotype. OsCDC48 was expressed constitutively in the root, stem, leaf and panicle. Subcellular analysis indicated that OsCDC48:YFP fusion proteins were located both in the cytoplasm and nucleus. OsCDC48 was highly conserved with more than 90% identity in the protein levels among plant species. Our results indicated that the impaired function of OsCDC48 was responsible for the premature senescence and death phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]