A novel semidwarf mutant 02428ha in rice is caused by reduced gibberellin sensitivity

The rice (Oryza sativa L.) elongated uppermost internode (eui) gene effectively results in a recessive tall plant type. In eui background, we found a mutant 02428ha that exhibited a semidwarf phenotype. Because semidwarf varieties possess high yield potential, this mutant may be useful for hybrid rice breeding. The present study aimed to characterize the dwarfing mechanism in the mutant. Microscopic observation revealed that the cell length in the uppermost internode was reduced compared to the wild type. The mutant showed a decreased sensitivity to exogenous gibberellin A3 (GA3) and gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis inhibitor, uniconazole. Meanwhile, it contained a high level of endogenous gibberellin A1 (GA1). These results indicated that the semidwarf phenotype of 02428ha was caused by impairment of GA signal transduction rather than by block in GA biosynthesis. Furthermore, expression analysis of genes involved in the GA signaling pathway showed that transcript of GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF2 (GID2) was down-regulated in the mutant. Sequence analysis also revealed a 15-base pair (bp) insertion between base 594 and 595 in the coding region of GID2. Consequently, the reason for down-regulation expression of GID2 or sequence variation of GID2 might play roles in the phenotype of 02428ha.