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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #223529

Title: A natural mutation in rc reverts white-pericarp-rice to red and results is a new, dominant, wild-type allele Rc-g

Author
item Brooks, Steven
item Yan, Wengui
item Jackson, Aaron
item DEREN, CHRISTOPHER - UNIV. OF AR RREC

Submitted to: Theoretical and Applied Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/10/2008
Publication Date: 5/31/2008
Citation: Brooks, S.A., Yan, W., Jackson, A.K., Deren, C. 2008. A natural mutation in rc reverts white-pericarp-rice to red and results is a new, dominant, wild-type allele Rc-g. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 117:575-580.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The occurrence of grain with red pericarp in rice production is normal where red rice is a common weed problem. Classic weedy red rice can usually be distinguished morphologically without the need to de-hull seed to reveal pericarp color. However, rice with red pericarp is also found in cultivated grain types and has typically been attributed to outcrosses of cultivated rice to red rice. Recently, typical long grains with red pericarp were identified at very low frequency in a seed lot of the cultivar ‘Wells’. The goal of this project was to fully characterize red-pericarp-Wells and determine the source of red pericarp in these seeds. The Rc locus regulates pigmentation of the rice bran layer, and selection for the rc allele (white pericarp) is ubiquitous among cultivated rice varieties. Using molecular markers and DNA sequence for the Rc locus we demonstrated that red pericarp in Wells was not the result of an outcross or seed mixture. We identified a new allele that arose by natural mutation within the rc pseudogene. The mutation restored the reading frame of the gene, and reverted the bran layer pigmentation to red (wild-type). Using DNA sequence and linkage analysis we were able to demonstrate that mutation within rc resulted in the new, dominant, wild-type allele Rc-g.