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Plant Cell Advance Online Publication
Published on May 8, 2003; 10.1105/tpc.011965

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Received March 14, 2003
Accepted March 24, 2003

Regulation of Expansin Gene Expression Affects Growth and Development in Transgenic Rice Plants

Dongsu Choi 1, Yi Lee 1, Hyung-Taeg Cho 1, and Hans Kende 2*

1 Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1312
2 Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1312; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1312

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hkende{at}msu.edu.

To investigate the in vivo functions of expansins, we generated transgenic rice plants that express sense and antisense constructs of the expansin gene OsEXP4. In adult plants with constitutive OsEXP4 expression, 12% of overexpressors were taller and 88% were shorter than the average control plants, and most overexpressors developed at least two additional leaves. Antisense plants were shorter and flowered earlier than the average control plants. In transgenic plants with inducible OsEXP4 expression, we observed a close correlation between OsEXP4 protein levels and seedling growth. Coleoptile and mesocotyl length increased by up to 31 and 97%, respectively, in overexpressors, whereas in antisense seedlings, they decreased by up to 28 and 43%, respectively. The change in seedling growth resulted from corresponding changes in cell size, which in turn appeared to be a function of altered cell wall extensibility. Our results support the hypothesis that expansins are involved in enhancing growth by mediating cell wall loosening.






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