叶片的光合作用主要发生在叶绿体中，叶绿体的发育受核基因编码蛋白调控。其中，PPR蛋白参与细胞器RNA编辑。在水稻中虽然鉴定出了约450个PPR蛋白家族成员，但只有少数被证明影响水稻叶绿体RNA编辑。利用基因编辑技术创造了新的水稻种质资源和突变体，能够用于水稻育种和基因功能研究。本研究鉴定了一个DYW类型PPR蛋白OsPPR9在水稻叶绿体RNA编辑中的功能。通过CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术获得了Osppr9突变体，该突变体叶片黄化和致死表型；在突变体中，叶绿体发育相关基因表达量降低，光合作用相关蛋白的积累减少。此外，OsPPR9蛋白功能的缺失降低了叶绿体中rps8-C182, rpoC2-C4106, rps14-C80和ndhB-C611 RNA编辑位点的编辑效率，影响水稻叶绿体的生长发育。OsPPR9在水稻叶片中表达量最高和编码一个定位于叶绿体的PPR蛋白。此外，通过酵母双杂验证OsPPR9与OsMORF2和OsMORF9相互作用。总之，我们的研究为探明PPR蛋白在水稻叶绿体发育中的作用提供了线索。 

叶片是植物的主要光合作用器官，最佳的叶片形态有利于塑造理想株型，提高光合效率。在超高产杂交水稻模型中，袁隆平先生将水稻功能叶的形状归纳为直立、狭窄、厚实、卷曲。叶片的适度卷曲有助于其保持直立，减少阳光对叶片的辐射，并降低对叶片的损害，提高植物抵抗力，增加光合产物积累，从而提高作物产量。该研究发现srl3突变体在整个生育期都表现出半卷叶的表型，在分蘖期，其剑叶、第二叶、第三叶的叶片卷曲指数分别平均达到了41%、26%、14%。组织形态学分析发现srl3的剑叶在近轴面上位于中脉、大维管束及小维管束之间的泡状细胞数目和面积均显著性降低。石蜡切片和扫描电镜观察均发现部分小维管束对应的叶片背面缺少厚壁细胞，这些可能都是导致srl3半卷叶表型的原因。另外，我们还检测了一些卷叶相关以及细胞增殖扩展相关基因的表达水平，发现其中大部分基因的表达量都发生了显著性改变，说明SRL3基因很可能与这些卷叶及细胞增殖扩展相关基因有关，共同影响及调控水稻叶片形态。

Sheath blight (SB) disease, caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, is one of the most serious diseases causing rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield loss worldwide. A doubled haploid (DH) population was constructed from a cross between a japonica variety CJ06 and an indica variety TN1, and to analyze the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for SB resistance under three different environments (environments 1–3). Two traits were recorded to evaluate the SB resistance, namely lesion height (LH) and disease rating (DR). Based on field evaluation of SB resistance and a genetic map constructed with 214 markers, a total of eight QTLs were identified for LH and eight QTLs for DR under three environments, respectively. The QTLs for LH were anchored on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8, and explained 4.35–17.53% of the phenotypic variation. The SB resistance allele of qHNLH4 from TN1 decreased LH by 3.08 cm, and contributed to 17.53% of the variation at environment 1. The QTL for LH (qHZaLH8) detected on chromosome 8 in environment 2 explained 16.71% of the variation, and the resistance allele from CJ06 reduced LH by 4.4 cm. Eight QTLs for DR were identified on chromosomes 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12 under three conditions with the explained variation from 2.0 to 11.27%. The QTL for DR (qHZaDR8), which explained variation of 11.27%, was located in the same interval as that of qHZaLH8, both QTLs were detected in environment 2. A total of six pairs of digenic epistatic loci for DR were detected in three conditions, but no epistatic locus was observed for LH. In addition, we detected 12 QTLs for plant height (PH) in three environments. None of the PH-QTLs were co-located with the SB-QTLs. The results facilitate our understanding of the genetic basis for SB resistance in rice.