Ultraviolet-B radiation sensitivities in rice plant: cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase activities and gene mutations

Reduction in stratospheric ozone layer increases the amount of ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB: 280-320 nm) that reaches the earth ’ s surface. UVB radiationcan damage plants, resulting in decrease in growth and productivity. UVB-augmentation studies have indicated that the sensitivity to UVB radiation in plants varies among the species and cultivars. However. there are no definitive answers for the mechanisms of UVB-resistance in higher plants and for bioengineering design and development of UVB-tolerant plants. We have been studying physiological and biochemical aspects of the effects of UVB radiation on growth and yield of rice COryza sativa LJ. aiming to clarify the mechanism of resistance to UVB radiationin rice. At this meeting. weintroduce our research as followed: (1) supplementary UVB radiation has inhibitory effects on the growth. yield and grain development of rice; (2) UVB sensitivity of rice varies widely among cultivars; (3) among Japanese rice cultivars. Sasanishiki. a leading variety in northeast Japan. is more resistant to UVB. while Norin 1. a progenitor of Sasanishiki. is less resistant; (4)UV-sensitive Norin 1 cultivar is deficient in photorepair of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD). and this deficiency results from one amino acid residue alteration of CPD photolyase. These results suggest that spontaneously occurring mutation in CPD photolyase gene could lead to difference in UVB sensitivity in rice. and that CPD photolyase might be a useful target for improving UVB-sensitivity in rice by selective breeding or bioengineering of UVB-tolerant rice.