Qian Qian

TL;DR: This study identifies ∼3.6 million SNPs by sequencing 517 rice landraces and constructed a high-density haplotype map of the rice genome using a novel data-imputation method, demonstrating that an approach integrating second-generation genome sequencing and GWAS can be used as a powerful complementary strategy to classical biparental cross-mapping for dissecting complex traits in rice.

TL;DR: In-depth analyses of the domestication sweeps and genome-wide patterns reveal that Oryza sativa japonica rice was first domesticated from a specific population of O. rufipogon around the middle area of the Pearl River in southern China, and was subsequently developed from crosses between japonicas rice and local wild rice as the initial cultivars spread into South East and South Asia.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that a point mutation in OsSPL14 perturbs OsmiR156-directed regulation of OsSPl14, generating an 'ideal' rice plant with a reduced tiller number, increased lodging resistance and enhanced grain yield.

TL;DR: The isolation and characterization of MONOCULM 1 (MOC1), a gene that is important in the control of rice tillering, is reported, which encodes a putative GRAS family nuclear protein that is expressed mainly in the axillary bud and functions to initiate axillary buds and to promote their outgrowth.

TL;DR: This study shows that the integrated approach of sequence-based GWAS and functional genome annotation has the potential to match complex traits to their causal polymorphisms in rice.