Abstract: 【Objective】 The present study was aimed at investigating the differences of mutant phenotypes resulting from different mutations in base sequence of rice divinyl reductase gene OsDVR (Os03g22780), and evaluating application potential of this gene in rice breeding as a leaf color marker gene. 【Method】The yellow-green leaf mutants isolated from Indica rice variety G46B and japonica rice variety Nipponbare via ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to screen the mutants accumulating divinyl chlorophyll. Then genetic analysis, gene mapping and allelism test of the target mutants were performed. Subsequently, DNA sequencing of OsDVR gene in these mutants and alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of homologous DVR proteins were conducted, and leaf photosynthetic pigments, plant phenotypes and main agronomic traits of the mutants were investigated. 【Result】590ys and 525ys, two novel mutants accumulating divinyl chlorophyll, were obtained by screening 53 yellow-green leaf mutants isolated from ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis. Their mutant phenotypes were all controlled by a pair of recessive nuclear gene and moreover, the mutant genes were all mapped on the chromosomal region harbouring the 824ys mutant gene reported. Furthermore, allelism test confirmed that the mutant genes of 590ys and 525ys were allelic to that of 824ys. So 590ys, 525ys and 824ys mutants were all OsDVR mutants. However, mutational sites of OsDVR mutant gene and their encoded protein product in the three mutants were different, which resulted in extremely significant differences of chlorophyll contents and compositions, plant phenotypes, main agronomic traits and yields per plant among the three mutants. Among them, 525ys mutant had slight yellow leaves, and its growth and development, main agronomic traits and yield per plant were affected relatively less, indicating that 525ys mutant gene can basically meet the requirements as a leaf color marker gene introduced into rice male sterile lines. 【Conclusion】Different mutations in base sequence of OsDVR gene could result in extremely significant differences of mutant phenotype and yield per plant. The OsDVR mutant gene could be applicable in hybrid rice breeding as a leaf color marker gene.

Key words: rice , yellow-green leaf mutant , chlorophyll , divinyl reductase , DVR gene