Rice Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 86-95 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 92 7 Challenges and Future Directions 7.1 Current blind spots in understanding Although researchers have made many steps in studying the temperature-sensitive male sterility gene OsTms6 in rice, such as clarifying some of its functions and regulatory methods, things are not yet completely clear. In particular, the molecular details of how it causes male sterility step by step under different temperature conditions are still unclear. Some studies have indeed found related pathways, such as the involvement of certain non-coding RNAs or specific transcription factors (Zhou et al., 2012; Fan and Zhang, 2017), but for the entire network, who moves first, who moves later, and how they affect each other, there is still a lack of a complete picture. In addition, whether OsTms6 and other stress resistance genes have "cooperation performances", such as the response mechanism to drought or high temperature (Raza et al., 2020; Wen et al., 2021), is still unclear. These "blank areas" are where we need to fill in the next step. 7.2 Technical requirements Some technologies have been put to use, such as RNA-seq and small RNA sequencing, which have indeed helped us see some transcriptional maps related to sterility (Shimono et al., 2016; Sun et al., 2021). But the problem is that although these technologies have a large amount of information, they may not be detailed enough. In order to see more clearly howOsTms6 is expressed and how it works at the cellular level, more sophisticated technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing are particularly important. CRISPR-Cas9 is also suitable for verifying gene function. At the same time, integrating proteomics and metabolomics may be able to see how OsTms6 affects the state of rice under heat stress from a holistic perspective (Raza et al., 2020; Kan and Lin, 2021). 7.3 Next research directions 7.3.1 Mechanism exploration needs to be more in-depth To understand the role of OsTms6, the current surface information alone is not enough. Later, we need to find its target in more depth to see how it affects sterility step by step. In particular, the "reaction logic" of these target genes may change at different temperatures. Methods such as ChIP-seq or yeast two-hybrid have been proven to be quite effective in finding protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions and can be used (Lee et al., 2005; Zhou et al., 2012; Fan and Zhang, 2017). 7.3.2 Breeding strategies to cope with climate change The climate is becoming more and more extreme, which is not a trivial matter for rice yield. Future breeding work must use this type of temperature-sensitive sterility mechanism. Take OsTms6 for example. If we can translate our understanding of it into practical breeding methods, such as introducing these traits into high-yield varieties through molecular markers or genomic selection, it will be a solution to deal with temperature fluctuations (Chen et al., 2010; Shimono et al., 2016; Raza et al., 2020). 7.3.3 Multiple methods to improve stability It is difficult to solve practical problems by relying on one gene or one angle alone. The next focus should be to take genetics, physiology and environmental factors into consideration. For example, while using thermosensitive male sterility, adding drought and heat resistance traits may be able to breed truly stable and high-yield varieties. At this time, it is not just the job of molecular biologists alone. Breeding experts and agronomists must also participate, and cooperation is the key. In addition, computational modeling is becoming increasingly useful, and it can help predict how different varieties will perform in different climates (Kan and Lin, 2021; Wen et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2022). If these problems can be gradually solved, the research on OsTms6 will not only be an academic breakthrough, but will also provide practical technical support for food production under the background of climate change. If necessary, I can continue to use the same method to handle the next section or the overall unified style of the whole article.
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