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Sex: Male

Education

  • Master of Science in Bioagricultural Science, Biotechnology (Plant Breeding), Nagoya University, 2010
  • Master of Science in Biology, Central Luzon State University, 2007
  • Bachelor of Science in Biology, Central Luzon State University, 2002

Field of Specialization
Gel electrophoresis
Electrophoresis
Cloning
Gene expression
DNA extraction
RNA isolation
DNA sequencing

Researches:

Article title: Development and characterization of GR2E Golden rice introgression lines
Authors: B. P. Mallikarjuna Swamy, Severino Marundan Jr., Mercy Samia1, Reynante L. Ordonio, et al.
Publication title: Scientific Reports 11(1), January 2021

Abstract:
Golden Rice with β-carotene in the grain helps to address the problem of vitamin A deficiency. Prior to commercialized Golden Rice, several performance and regulatory checkpoints must be achieved. We report results of marker assisted backcross breeding of the GR2E trait into three popular rice varieties followed by a series of confined field tests of event GR2E introgression lines to assess their agronomic performance and carotenoid expression. Results from confined tests in the Philippines and Bangladesh have shown that GR2E introgression lines matched the performance of the recurrent parents for agronomic and yield performance, and the key components of grain quality. Moreover, no differences were observed in terms of pest and disease reaction. The best performing lines identified in each genetic background had significant amounts of carotenoids in the milled grains. These lines can supply 30–50% of the estimated average requirements of vitamin A.
Full text link: https://tinyurl.com/2xba5b3s

Article title: Evolution of GA Metabolic Enzymes in Land Plants
Authors: Hideki Yoshida, Sayaka Takehara, Masaki Mori, Reynante L. Ordonio, et al.
Publication title: Plant and Cell Physiology 61(11), October 2020

Abstract:
Gibberellins (GAs) play key roles in various developmental processes in land plants. We studied the evolutionary trends of GA metabolic enzymes through a comprehensive homology search and phylogenetic analyses from bryophytes to angiosperms. Our analyses suggest that in the process of evolution, plants were able to acquire GA metabolic enzymes in a stepwise manner and that the enzymes had rapidly diversified in angiosperms. As a good example of their rapid diversification, we focused on the GA-deactivating enzyme, GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox). Although the establishment of a GA system first occurred in lycophytes, its inactivation system mediated by GA2oxs was established at a much later time: the rise of gymnosperms and the rise of angiosperms through C19-GA2ox and C20-GA2ox development, respectively, as supported by the results of our direct examination of their enzymatic activities in vitro. Based on these comprehensive studies on GA metabolic enzymes, we discuss here that angiosperms rapidly developed a sophisticated system to delicately control the level of active GAs by increasing their copy numbers for their survival under different challenging environments.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Rice Biofortification—Progress and Challenges in Improving the Nutritional Value of Rice
Authors: Russell Reinke, Mallikarjuna Swamy Abdul Kader, Reynante Ordonio, et al.
Publication title: Proceedings 19 46(1), January 2020

Abstract:
Rice is the principal source of calories for more than half of the world’s population, and while an excellent source of energy is a relatively poor source of micronutrients. Developing rice varieties with increased levels of bioavailable micronutrients is a sustainable and complementary approach to tackle micronutrient malnutrition, and may be achieved through transgenic or conventional breeding approaches. Using the former approach Golden Rice has been genetically engineered to produce β-carotene in the grain to address the persistent and pervasive problem of vitamin A deficiency, while high levels of iron and zinc have also been achieved via a transgenic approach. The primary focus of conventional breeding is increasing zinc content. This paper reports on the progress and challenges in developing and delivering rice with improved micronutrient content.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Compositional analysis of genetically engineered GR2E “Golden Rice” compared to conventional rice
Authors: B. P. Mallikarjuna Swamy, Mercy Samia, Raul Boncodin, Severino Marundan, et al.
Publication title: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 67(28), June 2019

Abstract:
Compositional analyses were performed on samples of rice grain, straw, and derived bran obtained from golden rice event GR2E and near-isogenic control PSBRc82 rice grown at four locations in the Philippines during 2015 and 2016. Grain samples were analyzed for key nutritional components, including proximates, fiber, polysaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and anti-nutrients. Samples of straw and bran were analyzed for proximates and minerals. The only biologically meaningful difference between GR2E and control rice was in levels of β-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids in the grain. Except for β-carotene and related carotenoids, the compositional parameters of GR2E rice were within the range of natural variability of those components in conventional rice varieties with a history of safe consumption. Mean provitamin A concentrations in milled rice of GR2E can contribute up to 89-113 percent and 57-99 percent of the estimated average requirement for vitamin A for preschool children in Bangladesh and the Philippines, respectively.
Full text link: https://tinyurl.com/9ers8py5

Article title: New path towards a better rice architecture
Authors: Reynante L. Ordonio and Makoto Matsuoka
Publication title: Cell Research 27(10), September 2017

Abstract:
Cell death and differentiation is a monthly research journal focused on the exciting field of programmed cell death and apoptosis. It provides a single accessible source of information for both scientists and clinicians, keeping them up-to-date with advances in the field. It encompasses programmed cell death, cell death induced by toxic agents, differentiation and the interrelation of these with cell proliferation.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: OsIDD2, a zinc finger and INDETERMINATE DOMAIN protein regulates secondary cell wall formation(FA)
Authors: Peng Huang, Hideki Yoshida, Kenji Yano, Shunsuke Kinoshita, et al.
Publication title: Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 60(2), June 2017

Abstract:
Previously, we found 123 transcription factors (TFs) as candidate regulators of secondary cell wall (SCW) formation in rice by using phylogenetic and co-expression network analyses. Among them, we examined in this work the role of OsIDD2, a zinc finger and indeterminate domain (IDD) family TF. Its overexpressors showed dwarfism, fragile leaves, and decreased lignin content, which are typical phenotypes of plants defective in SCW formation, whereas its knockout plants showed slightly increased lignin content. The RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses confirmed that some lignin biosynthetic genes were downregulated in the OsIDD2-overexpressing plants, and revealed the same case for other genes involved in cellulose synthesis and sucrose metabolism. The transient expression assay using rice protoplasts revealed that OsIDD2 negatively regulates the transcription of genes involved in lignin biosynthesis, cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 2 and 3 (CAD2 and 3), and sucrose metabolism, sucrose synthase 5 (SUS5), whereas an AlphaScreen assay, which can detect the interaction between TFs and their target DNA sequences, directly confirmed the interaction between OsIDD2 and the target sequences located in the promoter regions of CAD2 and CAD3. Based on these observations, we conclude that OsIDD2 is negatively involved in SCW formation and other biological events by downregulating its target genes.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Engineering the lodging resistance mechanism of post-Green Revolution rice to meet future demands
Authors: Ko Hirano, Reynante L. Ordonio, Makoto Matsuoka
Publication title: Proceedings of the Japan Academy Ser B Physical and Biological Sciences 93(4):220-233, April 2017

Abstract:
Traditional breeding for high-yielding rice has been dependent on the widespread cultivation of gibberellin (GA)-deficient semi-dwarf varieties. Dwarfism lowers the “center of gravity” of the plant body, which increases resistance against lodging and enables plants to support high grain yield. Although this approach was successful in latter half of the 20th century in rice and wheat breeding, this may no longer be enough to sustain rice with even higher yields. This is because relying solely on the semi-dwarf trait is subject to certain limitations, making it necessary to use other important traits to reinforce it. In this review, we present an alternative approach to increase lodging resistance by improving the quality of the culm by identifying genes related to culm quality and introducing these genes into high-yielding rice cultivars through molecular breeding technique.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Increasing resistant starch content in rice for better consumer health
Authors: Reynante L. Ordonio and Makoto Matsuoka
Publication title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(45):201616053, October 2016

Abstract:
No available
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Comprehensive Gene Expression Analysis of Rice Aleurone Cells: Probing the Existence of an Alternative Gibberellin Receptor
Authors: Kenji Yano, Koichiro Aya, Ko Hirano, Reynante L. Ordonio, et al.
Publication title: Plant Physiology 167(2), December 2014

Abstract:
Current gibberellin (GA) research indicates that GA must be perceived in plant nuclei by its cognate receptor, GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1 (GID1). Recognition of GA by GID1 relieves the repression mediated by the DELLA protein, a model known as the GID1-DELLA GA perception system. There have been reports of potential GA-binding proteins in the plasma membrane that perceive GA and induce α-amylase expression in cereal aleurone cells, which is mechanistically different from the GID1-DELLA system. We therefore examined the expression of the rice α-amylase genes (RAmys) in rice (Oryza sativa) mutants impaired in the GA receptor (gid1) and DELLA repressor (slr1), and confirmed their lack of response to GA in gid1 mutants and constitutive expression in slr1 mutants. We also examined the expression of GA-regulated genes by genome-wide microarray and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR analyses, and confirmed that all GA-regulated genes are modulated by the GID1-DELLA system. Furthermore, we studied the regulatory network involved in GA signaling by using a set of mutants defective in genes involved in GA perception and gene expression, namely gid1, slr1, gid2 (GA-related F-box protein mutant), and gamyb (GA-related transacting factor mutant). Almost all GA up-regulated genes were regulated by the four named GA-signaling components. On the other hand, GA down-regulated genes showed different expression patterns with respect to GID2 and GAMYB; e.g. a considerable number of genes are not controlled by GAMYB or GID2 and GAMYB. Based on these observations, we present a comprehensive discussion of the intricate network of GA-regulated genes in rice aleurone cells.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Isolation of a Novel Lodging Resistance QTL Gene Involved in Strigolactone Signaling and Its Pyramiding with a QTL Gene Involved in Another Mechanism
Authors: Kenji Yano, Taiichiro Ookawa, Koichiro Aya, Yusuke Ochiai, et al.
Publication title: Molecular Plant 8(2), Novemember 2014

Abstract:
Lodging has been a major roadblock to attaining increased crop productivity. In an attempt to understand the mechanism for culm strength in rice, we isolated an effective quantitative trait loci (QTL), STRONG CULM3 (SCM3), the causal gene of which is identical to rice TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 (OsTB1), a gene previously reported to positively control strigolactone (SL) signaling. A near-isogenic line (NIL) carrying SCM3 showed enhanced culm strength and increased spikelet number despite the expected decrease in tiller number, indicating that SL also has a positive role in enhancing culm strength and spikelet number. We produced a pyramiding line carrying SCM3 and SCM2, another QTL encoding APO1 involved in panicle development. The NIL-SCM2+SCM3 showed a much stronger culm than NIL-SCM2 and NIL-SCM3 and an increased spikelet number caused by the additive effect of these QTLs. We discuss the importance of utilizing suitable alleles of these STRONG CULM QTLs without inducing detrimental traits for breeding.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Antheridiogen determines sex in ferns via a spatiotemporally split gibberellin synthesis pathway
Authors: Reynante L. Ordonio
Publication title: Science 346(6208):469-473, October 2014

Abstract:
Some ferns possess the ability to control their sex ratio to maintain genetic variation in their colony with the aid of antheridiogen pheromones, antheridium (male organ)–inducing compounds that are related to gibberellin. We determined that ferns have evolved an antheridiogen-mediated communication system to produce males by modifying the gibberellin biosynthetic pathway, which is split between two individuals of different developmental stages in the colony. Antheridiogen acts as a bridge between them because it is more readily taken up by prothalli than bioactive gibberellin. The pathway initiates in early-maturing prothalli (gametophytes) within a colony, which produce antheridiogens and secrete them into the environment. After the secreted antheridiogen is absorbed by neighboring late-maturing prothalli, it is modified in to bioactive gibberellin to trigger male organ formation.
Full text available upon request to the author

Article title: Utilization of Stiff Culm Trait of Rice smos1 Mutant for Increased Lodging Resistance
Authors: Ko Hirano, Ayako Okuno, Tokunori Hobo, Reynante Ordonio, et al.
Publication title: PLoS ONE 9(7):e96009, July 2014

Abstract:
Although the introduction of semi-dwarf trait into rice has led to improved lodging resistance making it capable of supporting high grain yield, lodging still remains a concern when attempting to further increase the grain yield of rice. However, improving the lodging resistance in rice by depending on the semi-dwarf trait alone is possible only up to a certain limit, beyond which other traits may be needed for reinforcement. To search for alternative traits relating to high lodging resistance, we identified 9 rice mutant lines possessing improved culm strength. To evaluate whether such lines can be useful for breeding lodging resistant rice, small organ size1 (smos1) mutant having increased lodging resistance but low tiller number and low grain yield, was chosen as a representative for a breeding trial. smos1 was crossed with ST-4 (from the Stock rice collection of Nagoya University Togo field #4), a cultivar with high tiller number and high grain yield, and from their progeny, LRC1 (lodging resistance candidate-1) was selected. Although the low tiller number trait of smos1 was not fully reversed in LRC1, this was compensated by an increase in grain weight per panicle, thereby resulting in high grain yield per plant. This important attribute of LRC1 was further enhanced by the improved lodging resistance trait inherited from smos1. Such improved lodging resistance in LRC1 and smos1 was revealed to be mainly due to increased culm diameter and culm thickness, which led to a high section modulus (SM) value, a parameter defining the physical strength of the culm. Since smos1 possesses high breaking-type lodging resistance which is different from semi-dwarf plants with high bending-type lodging resistance, an alternative approach of using thick culm lines for the creation of rice with increased lodging resistance is hereby proposed.
Full text link: https://tinyurl.com/3346hp5e

Article title: Gibberellin deficiency pleiotropically induces culm bending in sorghum: An insight into sorghum semi-dwarf breeding
Authors: Reynante L. Ordonio, Yusuke Ito, Asako Hatakeyama, Kozue Ohmae-Shinohara, et al.
Publication title: Scientific Reports 4(1):5287, June 2014

Abstract:
Regulation of symmetrical cell growth in the culm is important for proper culm development. So far, the involvement of gibberellin (GA) in this process has not yet been demonstrated in sorghum. Here, we show that GA deficiency resulting from any loss-of-function mutation in four genes (SbCPS1, SbKS1, SbKO1, SbKAO1) involved in the early steps of GA biosynthesis, not only results in severe dwarfism but also in abnormal culm bending. Histological analysis of the bent culm revealed that the intrinsic bending was due to an uneven cell proliferation between the lower and upper sides of culm internodes. GA treatment alleviated the bending and dwarfism in mutants, whereas the GA biosynthesis inhibitor, uniconazole, induced such phenotypes in wild-type plants- both in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating an important role of GA in controlling erectness of the sorghum culm. Finally, we propose that because of the tight relationship between GA deficiency-induced dwarfism and culm bending in sorghum, GA-related mutations have unlikely been selected in the history of sorghum breeding, as could be inferred from previous QTL and association studies on sorghum plant height that did not pinpoint GA-related genes.
Full text available upon request to the author