During the processes of rice domestication and improvement, a trade-off effect between grain number and grain weight was a major obstacle for increasing yield. Here, we identify a critical gene COG1, encoding the transcription factor OsMADS17, with a 65-bp deletion in the 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) presented in cultivated rice increasing grain number and grain weight simultaneously through decreasing mRNA translation efficiency. OsMADS17 controls grain yield by regulating multiple genes and that the interaction with one of them, OsAP2-39, has been characterized. Besides, the expression of OsMADS17 is regulated by OsMADS1 directly. It indicates that OsMADS1-OsMADS17-OsAP2-39 participates in the regulatory network controlling grain yield, and downregulation of OsMADS17 or OsAP2-39 expression can further improve grain yield by simultaneously increasing grain number and grain weight. Our findings provide insights into understanding the molecular basis co-regulating rice yield-related traits, and offer a strategy for breeding higher-yielding rice varieties.

在水稻驯化改良过程中，粒数和粒重之间的权衡效应是提高产量的主要障碍。在这里，我们鉴定了一个关键基因COG1，它编码转录因子 OsMADS17，在栽培水稻中存在的 5' 非翻译区 (5' UTR) 有 65-bp 缺失，通过降低 mRNA 翻译效率同时增加粒数和粒重。OsMADS17 通过调节多个基因来控制谷物产量，并且已经表征了与其中之一OsAP2-39的相互作用。此外， OsMADS17的表达直接受OsMADS1调控。它表明OsMADS1 - OsMADS17 - OsAP2-39参与控制粮食产量的调控网络，下调OsMADS17或OsAP2-39表达可通过同时增加粒数和粒重来进一步提高粮食产量。我们的研究结果为了解共同调节水稻产量相关性状的分子基础提供了见解，并为培育高产水稻品种提供了策略。