PMS1T, producing phased small-interfering RNAs, regulates photoperiod-sensitive male sterility in rice

Significance New discoveries have been continuously made in recent years on the roles of noncoding RNAs in regulating biological processes. Phased small-interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) may be the newest member discovered in recent years. The photoperiod-sensitive male sterility (PSMS) rice is a very valuable germplasm that started the era of two-line hybrid rice. Here we show that phasiRNAs generated by a long-noncoding RNA PMS1T encoded by the Pms1 locus regulates PSMS in rice. This work provides a case associating the phasiRNAs with a biological trait, especially an agriculturally highly important trait, thus confirming that the phasiRNAs indeed have biological functions.