Gene mapping and candidate gene analysis of aberrant-floral spikelet 1 (afs1) in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The spikelet is a unique inflorescence structure in grasses. However, the molecular mechanism that regulates its development remains unclear, and we therefore characterize a spikelet mutant of rice (Oryza sativa L.), aberrant-floral spikelet 1 (afs1), which was derived from treatment of Xinong 1B with ethyl methanesulfonate. In the afs1 mutant, the spikelet developed an additional lemma-like organ alongside the other normally developed floral organs, and the paleae were degenerated to differing degrees with or without normally developed inner floral organs. Genetic analysis revealed that the afs1 phenotype was controlled by a single recessive gene. The AFS1 gene was mapped between the insertion/deletion (InDel) marker Indel19 and the simple sequence repeat marker RM16893, with a physical distance of 128.5 kb on chromosome 4. Using sequence analysis, we identified the deletion of a 5-bp fragment and a transversion from G to A within LOC_Os04g32510/LAX2, which caused early termination of translation in the afs1 mutant. These findings suggest that AFS1 may be a new allele of LAX2, and is involved in the development of floral organs by regulating the expression of genes related to their development. The above results provide a new view on the function of LAX2, which may also regulate the development of spikelets.