Li Tian, Hong-Li Chou, Laining Zhang, Seon-Kap Hwang, Shawn R. Starkenburg, Kelly A. Doroshenk, Toshihiro Kumamaru, Thomas W. Okita

In developing rice (Oryza sativa) endosperm, mRNAs of the major storage proteins, glutelin and prolamine, are transported and anchored to distinct subdomains of the cortical endoplasmic reticulum. RNA-binding protein RBP-P binds to both glutelin and prolamine mRNAs, suggesting a role in some aspect of their RNA metabolism. Here, we show that rice lines expressing mutant RBP-P mis-localize both glutelin and prolamine mRNAs. Different mutant RBP-P proteins exhibited varying degrees of reduced RNA binding and/or protein-protein interaction properties, which may account for the mis-localization of storage protein RNAs. In addition, partial loss of RBP-P function conferred a broad phenotypic variation ranging from dwarfism, chlorophyll deficiency and sterility to late flowering and low spikelet fertility. Transcriptome analysis highlighted the essential role of RBP-P in regulating storage protein genes and several essential biological processes during grain development. Overall, our data demonstrate the significant roles of RBP-P in glutelin and prolamine mRNA localization and in the regulation of genes important for plant growth and development through its RNA binding activity and cooperative regulation with interacting proteins.