miR396e-OsGRF7 module controls rice plant architecture (RNA-Seq)

Plant-specific growth-regulating factors (GRFs) participate in multiple central developmental processes including root and leaf development, flower and seed formation, plant senescence, and tolerance to stress. While the role of the miRNA-GRFs regulatory module in determining gross morphology, which is one of the most important agronomic traits for crops, have not been comprehensively unraveled yet. Here, we reported that OsGRF7, a target of miR396e and co-activated with OsGIFs, is essential for determining plant architecture in rice. Overexpression of OsGRF7 leads to decreased tiller number, leaf length and leaf angle, reduced plant height and increased grain size, which are mediated by shortened cell length and disordered cell arrangement. Further analyses indicate that OsGRF7 binds the ACRGDA motif in promoters of OsNSP2, OsGASR1 and OsCYP714B1, OsCga1 and OsARF12, which are involved in the synthesis of strigolactones, gibberellins and cytokinins or related to auxin signaling pathway. Our findings establish OsGRF7 as a crucial component in the miR396-OsGRFs/OsGIFs-plant hormone regulatory network that controls rice growth and plant architecture.This dataset records the differential expressed genes between GRF7OE and WT plants.