Natural variation in OsLG3 increases drought tolerance in rice (Plant Physiol)

Through a GWAS study, Yu, Xiong et al. previously identified a transcription-factor encoding gene, OsLG3, with alleles that contribute to increased grain length in rice. In this new work, Xiong, Yu et al. showed that the same alleles of OsLG3 that confers longer grain length also enhance drought tolerance. By surveying a panel of varieties, the authors were able to show that several SNPs correlate with enhanced germination in osmotic stress, and that these SNPs are located in the promoter and positively affect OsLG3 transcription. Further studies confirmed that elevated OsLG3 expression correlates with drought tolerance, possibly through “transcriptional regulation of stress-related and ROS-scavenging–related genes.” (Summary by Mary Williams) Plant Physiol. 10.1104/pp.17.01492