Small EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE2 Peptides Regulate Awn Development in Rice

The EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR (EPF) and EPF-LIKE (EPFL) family of small secreted peptides act to regulate many aspects of plant growth and development; however, their functions are not widely characterized in rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) technology to individually knockout each of 11 EPF/EPFL genes in the rice cultivar Kasalath. Loss of function of most OsEPF/EPFL genes generated no obvious phenotype alteration, while disruption of OsEPFL2 in Kasalath caused a short or no awn phenotype and reduced grain size. OsEPFL2 is strongly expressed in the young panicle, consistent with a role in regulating awn and grain development. Haplotype analysis indicated that OsEPFL2 can be classified into six major haplotypes. Nucleotide diversity and genetic differentiation analyses suggested that OsEPFL2 was positively selected during the domestication of rice. Our work to systematically investigate the function of EPF/EPFL peptides demonstrates that different members of the same gene family have been independently selected for their ability to regulate a similar biological function and provides perspective on rice domestication.