BACKGROUND Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is a multifunctional molecule which is closely related to cell growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metabolism and senescence. It combines with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) to form a complex (IGF-I/IGFBP-3) that can treat growth hormone insensitivity syndrome (GHIS) and reduce insulin requirement in patients with diabetes. IG...

Rice blast disease is a major threat to rice production worldwide, but the mechanisms underlying rice resistance to the causal agent Magnaporthe oryzae remain elusive. Therefore, we carried out a transcriptome study on rice early defense response to M. oryzae. We found that the transcriptional profiles of rice compatible and incompatible interactions with M. oryzae were mostly similar, with gen...

Developing transgenic resistance in monocotyledonous crops against pathogens remains a challenging area of research. Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) is a serious pathogen of many monocotyledonous crops including sugarcane. The objective of present study was to analyze transgenic expression of hairpin RNA (hpRNA), targeting simultaneously CP (Coat Protein) and Hc-Pro (helper component-proteinase) ...

The rice OsBIHD1 gene encodes a transcriptional factor belonging to the homeodomain class. It had previously been shown to be activated by treatment with benzothiadiazole, a chemical inducer of disease resistance, and in an incompatible interaction between rice and the blast fungus. To allow a better understanding of the function of OsBIHD1 in plant disease resistance response, the OsBIHD1 gene...

MADS-box transcription factors are vital regulators participating in plant growth and development process and the functions of most of them are still unknown. ANR1 was reported to play a key role in controlling lateral root development through nitrate signal in Arabidopsis. OsMADS25 is one of five ANR1-like genes in Oryza Sativa and belongs to the ANR1 clade. Here we have investigated the role ...

To confer abscisic acid (ABA) and/or stress-inducible gene expression, an ABA-response complex (ABRC1) from the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) HVA22 gene was fused to four different lengths of the 5' region from the rice (Oryza sativa L.) Act1 gene. Transient assay of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity in barley aleurone cells shows that, coupled with ABRC1, the shortest minimal promoter (Act1-100P...

Oryza sativa BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED1 LIKE1 (OsBUL1) positively affects lamina inclination and grain size. OsBUL1 knock-out (osbul1) plants as well as transgenic rice with reduced level of OsBUL1 expression produce erect leaves and small grains. Here, we identified a putative downstream gene of OsBUL1, OsBUL1 DOWNSTREAM GENE1 (OsBDG1) encoding a small protein with short leucine-rich-repeats...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs processed from primary miRNA transcripts, and plant miRNAs play important roles in plant growth, development, and response to infection by microbes. Microbial infections broadly alter miRNA biogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we report that the Rice stripe virus (RSV)-encoded nonstructural protein 3 (NS3...

EIN2 is a central signal transducer in the ethylene-signaling pathway, and a unique membrane-anchored protein. By screening a cDNA library, we have isolated a cDNA clone (OsEIN2) that encodes the rice EIN2 homolog. The full-length ORF clone was obtained by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. OsEIN2 shares significant amino acid sequence similarity with Arabidopsis EIN2 (57% similar...

HIGHLIGHTS Overexpressing and RNA interfering OsDRAP1 transgenic rice plants exhibited significantly improved and reduced drought tolerance, but accompanied with negative effects on development and yield. The dehydration responsive element binding (DREBs) genes are important transcription factors which play a crucial role in plant abiotic stress tolerances. In this study, we functionally charac...