Recently, Professor Chen Chen's research team published a research paper entitled "OsNF-YB7 inactivates OsGLK1 to inhibit chlorophyll biosynthesis in rice embryo" in the journal eLife. The molecular mechanism of rice LEC1 homologous gene OsNF-YB7 regulating chlorophyll biosynthesis in rice embryos was revealed.

The team found that OsNF-YB7 plays a dual role in the regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis in rice embryos. First, it functions as a transcription factor to inhibit downstream genes. Second, it can interact with other transcription factors, such as OsGLKs, which interfere with its ability to activate genes associated with chlorophyll biosynthesis and photosynthesis.