DWARF AND LOW-TILLERING 2 Functions in Brassinosteroid Signaling and Controls Plant Architecture and Grain Size in Rice

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroid phytohormones that control various aspects of plant growth and development. Several transcriptional factors (TFs) have been suggested to play roles in BR signaling. However, their possible relationship remains largely unknown. Here, we identified a rice mutant dwarf and low-tillering 2 (dlt2) with altered plant architecture, increased grain width, and reduced BR sensitivity. DLT2 encodes a GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE (GAI)-REPRESSOR OF GAI (RGA)-SCARECROW (GRAS) TF that is mainly localized in the nucleus and has weak transcriptional activity. Our further genetic and biochemical analyses indicate that DLT2 interacts with two BR-signaling-related TFs, DLT and BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1, and probably modulates their transcriptional activity. These findings imply that DLT2 is implicated in a potentially transcriptional complex that mediates BR signaling and rice development and suggests that DLT2 could be a potential target for improving rice architecture and grain morphology. This work also sheds light on the role of rice GRAS members in regulating numerous developmental processes.