High yield and wide adaptation of rice are crucial for grain supply and food security. Here, we report a type II phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase, OsPI4Kγ7, which positively regulates rice yield and confers wide adaptation of rice. We show that OsPI4Kγ7 interacts with the transcription factor, OsLIC, and promotes its stability and nuclear translocation via phosphorylation, thereby increasing yield. Meanwhile, the natural variation of OsPI4Kγ7 alters its expression level by modulating OsTb2 binding. The ospi4kγ7 mutants exhibit an earlier heading date. Intriguingly, the OsPI4Kγ7 HapG with an earlier heading date demonstrates a critical role on the initial extension towards high latitude for japonica rice, and the OsPI4Kγ7 HapA drives increased yield potential in indica rice. Our findings unravel how phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI4K) regulates rice yield, and how one of its critical natural variation contributes to the different "adaptability-yield" trade-offs in japonica and indica, which provide the alternative breeding strategy for raising grain yield in different latitudes.
Zhu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.