Kernel number per spike determined by the spike or inflorescence development is one important agricultural trait for wheat yield that is critical for global food security. While a few important genes for wheat spike development were identified, the genetic regulatory mechanism underlying supernumerary spikelets (SSs) is still unclear. Here, we cloned the wheat FRIZZY PANICLE (WFZP) gene from one local wheat cultivar. WFZP is specifically expressed at the sites where the spikelet meristem and floral meristem are initiated, which differs from the expression patterns of its homologs FZP/BD1 in rice and maize, indicative of its functional divergence during species differentiation. Moreover, WFZP directly activates VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) and wheat HOMEOBOX4 (TaHOX4) to regulate the initiation and development of spikelet. The haplotypes analysis showed that the favourable alleles of WFZP associated with spikelet number per spike (SNS) were preferentially selected during breeding. Our findings provide insights into the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying wheat spike development and characterize the WFZP as elite resource for wheat molecular breeding with enhanced crop yield.

中文翻译：

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小麦 FRIZZY PANICLE 激活 VERNALIZATION1-A 和 HOMEOBOX4-A 以调节小麦穗发育

由穗状花序或花序发育决定的每个穗粒数是小麦产量的一项重要农业性状，对全球粮食安全至关重要。虽然鉴定了一些小麦穗发育的重要基因，但多生小穗 (SSs) 的遗传调控机制仍不清楚。在这里，我们从一个当地的小麦品种中克隆了小麦FRIZZY PANICLE ( WFZP ) 基因。WFZP在小穗分生组织和花分生组织起始位点特异性表达，与其同源物FZP / BD1在水稻和玉米中的表达模式不同，表明其在物种分化过程中的功能分化。此外，WFZP直接激活VERNALIZATION1 ( VRN1 )和小麦HOMEOBOX4 ( TaHOX4 )来调控小穗的发生和发育。单倍型分析表明，在育种过程中优先选择与每穗小穗数（SNS）相关的WFZP有利等位基因。我们的研究结果提供了对小麦穗发育的分子和遗传机制的见解，并将WFZP表征为小麦分子育种的优良资源，可提高作物产量。