Abstract: Seed protein content is a determinant for rice nutritional quality. Increasing seed protein content in rice plays a significant role in rice quality improvement. This paper mainly reviewed researches in composition of rice seed pro-tein, quantitative trait locus(QTL) mapping of protein content, isolation and cloning of related genes and gene expression regulation. At present,little is known about the genes function and genetic regulatory mechanism of seed protein content in rice. The researchers put forward the strategy by gene pyramiding or molecular-marker-assisted breeding selection to im-prove seed protein content in rice. This review can provide reference for genetic improvement in grain quality of rice and other staple crops.