LAUSR

Significance Selection for a common domestication trait targeted different genes in Asian and African rice. We identify an E3 ubiquitin ligase named Regulator of Awn Elongation 3 (RAE3) that causes awnlessness in African rice and demonstrate its genetic relationship with other genes. Loss of function of RAE3 leads to awnlessness even when other awn genes (RAE1 and RAE2) are functional; that is, RAE3 is a key gene for awn elongation in rice. Diversity analysis shows that while the dysfunctional rae3 allele is fixed across cultivated African rice, it is not found in wild African rice or in Asian rice. The discovery of RAE3 simultaneously deepens our understanding of awn developmental pathways and lends insight into the complex processes underlying crop domestication.