Molecular basis of plant architecture

Prof.Li Jiayang’s Group in Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology,Chinese Academy of Sciences have made a series of groundbreaking progress in dissecting molecular mechanisms underling plant architecture with a long-term support from National Natural Science Foundation of China.They cloned the MOC1 gene that regulates the formation of rice tillers and panicles,which has been recognized as a landmark achievement in rice functional genomics.Through a systematic study,they also identified and cloned the ideal plant architecture gene IPA1,which may provide a valuable genetic resource for breaking the bottleneck of rice yield.Their work provides a direct applicable target for improving plant architecture in rice,representing an important start of the transition from basic research to agricultural application towards mo-