RUPTURED POLLEN GRAIN1, a member of the MtN3/saliva gene family, is crucial for exine pattern formation and cell integrity of microspores in Arabidopsis

During microsporogenesis, the microsporocyte (or microspore) plasma membrane plays multiple roles in pollen wall development, including callose secretion, primexine deposition, and exine pattern determination. However, plasma membrane proteins that participate in these processes are still not well known. Here, we report that a new gene, RUPTURED POLLEN GRAIN1 (RPG1), encodes a plasma membrane protein and is required for exine pattern formation of microspores in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The rpg1 mutant exhibits severely reduced male fertility with an otherwise normal phenotype, which is largely due to the postmeiotic abortion of microspores. Scanning electron microscopy examination showed that exine pattern formation in the mutant is impaired, as sporopollenin is randomly deposited on the pollen surface. Transmission electron microscopy examination further revealed that the primexine formation of mutant microspores is aberrant at the tetrad stage, which leads to defective sporopollenin deposition on microspores and the locule wall. In addition, microspore rupture and cytoplasmic leakage were evident in the rpg1 mutant, which indicates impaired cell integrity of the mutant microspores. RPG1 encodes an MtN3/saliva family protein that is integral to the plasma membrane. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that RPG1 is strongly expressed in microsporocyte (or microspores) and tapetum during male meiosis. The possible role of RPG1 in microsporogenesis is discussed.     

Grass-Specific EPAD1 Is Essential for Pollen Exine Patterning in Rice

The highly variable and species-specific pollen surface patterns are formed by sporopollenin accumulation. The template for sporopollenin deposition and polymerization is the primexine that appears on the tetrad surface, but the mechanism(s) by which primexine guides exine patterning remain elusive. Here, we report that the Poaceae-specific EXINE PATTERN DESIGNER 1 (EPAD1), which encodes a nonspecific lipid transfer protein, is required for primexine integrity and pollen exine patterning in rice (Oryza sativa). Disruption of EPAD1 leads to abnormal exine pattern and complete male sterility, although sporopollenin biosynthesis is unaffected. EPAD1 is specifically expressed in male meiocytes, indicating that reproductive cells exert genetic control over exine patterning. EPAD1 possesses an N-terminal signal peptide and three redundant glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor sites at its C terminus, segments required for its function and localization to the microspore plasma membrane. In vitro assays indicate that EPAD1 can bind phospholipids. We propose that plasma membrane lipids bound by EPAD1 may be involved in recruiting and arranging regulatory proteins in the primexine to drive correct exine deposition. Our results demonstrate that EPAD1 is a meiocyte-derived determinant that controls primexine patterning in rice, and its orthologs may play a conserved role in the formation of grass-specific exine pattern elements.     

Identification of kaonashi mutants showing abnormal pollen exine structure in Arabidopsis thaliana

Exine, the outermost architecture of pollen walls, protects male gametes from the environment by virtue of its chemical and physical stability. Although much effort has been devoted to revealing the mechanism of exine construction, still little is known about it. To identify the genes involved in exine formation, we screened for Arabidopsis mutants with pollen grains exhibiting abnormal exine structure using scanning electron microscopy. We isolated 12 mutants, kaonashi1 (kns1) to kns12, and classified them into four types. The type 1 mutants showed a collapsed exine structure resembling a mutant of the callose synthase gene, suggesting that the type 1 genes are involved in callose wall synthesis. The type 2 mutant showed remarkably thin exine structure, presumably due to defective primexine thickening. The type 3 mutants showed defective tectum formation, and thus type 3 genes are required for primordial tectum formation or biosynthesis and deposition of sporopollenin. The type 4 mutants showed densely distributed baculae, suggesting type 4 genes determine the position of probacula formation. All identified kns mutants were recessive, suggesting that these KNS genes are expressed in sporophytic cells. Unlike previously known exine-defective mutants, most of the kns mutants showed normal fertility. Map-based cloning revealed that KNS2, one of the type 4 genes, encodes sucrose phosphate synthase. This enzyme might be required for synthesis of primexine or callose wall, which are both important for probacula positioning. Analysis of kns mutants will provide new knowledge to help understand the mechanism of biosynthesis of exine components and the construction of exine architecture.     

Ultrastructural characterization of exine development of the transient defective exine 1 mutant suggests the existence of a factor involved in constructing reticulate exine architecture from sporopollenin aggregates

A male-sterile mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, in which filament elongation was defective although pollen fertility was normal, was isolated by means of T-DNA tagging. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that primexine synthesis and probacula formation, which are thought to be the initial steps of exine formation, were defective, and that globular sporopollenin aggregation was randomly deposited onto the microspore at the early uninucleate microspore stage. Sporopollenin aggregation, which failed to anchor to the microspore plasma membrane, was deposited on the locule wall and in the locule at the uninucleate microspore stage. However, visually normal exine with a basic reticulate structure was observed at the middle uninucleate microspore stage, indicating that the exine formation was restored in the mutant. Thus, the mutant was designated transient defective exine 1 (tde1). These results indicated that tde1 mutation affects the initial process of the exine formation, but does not impair any critical processes. Our results also suggest the existence of a certain factor responsible for exine patterning in A. thaliana. The TDE1 gene was found to be identical to the DE-ETIOLATED 2 gene known to be involved in brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis, and the tde1 probacula-defective phenotypes were recovered in the presence of BR application. These results suggest that BRs control the rate or efficiency of initial process of exine pattern formation.     

The HKM gene, which is identical to the MS1 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana, is essential for primexine formation and exine pattern formation

A male-sterile mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana was isolated by T-DNA tagging screening. Using transmission electron microscopy analysis, we revealed that the microspores of this mutant did not have normal thick primexine on the microspore at the tetrad stage. Instead, a moderately electron-dense layer formed around the microspores. Although microspores without normal primexine failed to form a proper reticulate exine pattern at later stages, sporopollenin was deposited and an exine-like hackly structure was observed on the microspores during the microspore stage. Thus, this mutant was named hackly microspore (hkm). It is speculated that the moderately electron-dense layer was primexine, which partially played its role in sporopollenin deposition onto the microspore. Cytological analysis revealed that the tapetum of the hkm mutant was significantly vacuolated, and that vacuolated tapetal cells crushed the microspores, resulting in the absence of pollen grains within the anther at anthesis. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis demonstrated that the hkm mutation exists within the MS1 gene, which has been reportedly expressed within the tapetum. Our results suggest that the critical process of primexine formation is under sporophytic control .     

ACOS5 is required for primexine formation and exine pattern formation during microsporogenesis in Arabidopsis

Pollen exine, mainly composed of sporopollenin, plays important roles during microspore development. It has been reported that Acyl-CoA Synthetase5 (ACOS5) is required for sporopollenin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Here we show that ACOS5 is essential for primexine formation during Arabidopsis microspore development. Through genetic screen, we identified a point mutation of ACOS5 allele, acos5-2, showing abnormal microspore development. Its microspores were degenerated and aborted after released from the tetrads. Transmission electron microscopy showed that primexine formation was reduced in acos5-2 mutant as compared to that of the wild-type. Consequently, sporopollenin was aggregated and randomly deposited on the microspores. In situ hybridization indicated that the key regulators of tapetum development, DYT1 and TDF1, are required for the expression of ACOS5 in tapetum. Furthermore, the GUS reporter showed that the 593-bp promoter sequence was sufficient for the expression of ACOS5 in the anther. Our data provide evidence that ACOS5 is required for primexine formation and sporopollenin deposition during microspore development.     

AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR17 Is Essential for Pollen Wall Pattern Formation in Arabidopsis

In angiosperms, pollen wall pattern formation is determined by primexine deposition on the microspores. Here, we show that AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR17 (ARF17) is essential for primexine formation and pollen development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The arf17 mutant exhibited a male-sterile phenotype with normal vegetative growth. ARF17 was expressed in microsporocytes and microgametophytes from meiosis to the bicellular microspore stage. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that primexine was absent in the arf17 mutant, which leads to pollen wall-patterning defects and pollen degradation. Callose deposition was also significantly reduced in the arf17 mutant, and the expression of CALLOSE SYNTHASE5 (CalS5), the major gene for callose biosynthesis, was approximately 10% that of the wild type. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that ARF17 can directly bind to the CalS5 promoter. As indicated by the expression of DR5-driven green fluorescent protein, which is an synthetic auxin response reporter, auxin signaling appeared to be specifically impaired in arf17 anthers. Taken together, our results suggest that ARF17 is essential for pollen wall patterning in Arabidopsis by modulating primexine formation at least partially through direct regulation of CalS5 gene expression.In angiosperms, the pollen wall is the most complex plant cell wall. It consists of the inner wall, the intine, and the outer wall, the exine. The exine is further divided into sexine and nexine layers. The sculptured sexine includes three major parts: baculum, tectum, and tryphine (Heslop-Harrison, 1971; Piffanelli et al., 1998; Ariizumi and Toriyama, 2011; Fig. 1A). Production of a functional pollen wall requires the precise spatial and temporal cooperation of gametophytic and sporophytic tissues and metabolic events (Blackmore et al., 2007). The intine layer is controlled gametophytically, while the exine is regulated sporophytically. The sporophytic tapetum cells provide material for pollen wall formation, while primexine determines pollen wall patterning (Heslop-Harrison, 1968).Open in a separate windowFigure 1.Schematic representation of the pollen wall and primexine development. A, The innermost layer adjacent to the plasma membrane is the intine. The bacula (Ba), tectum (Te), and tryphine (T) make up the sexine layer. The nexine is located between the intine and the sexine layers. The exine includes the nexine and sexine layers. B, Primexine (Pr) appears between callose (Cl) and plasma membrane (Pm) at the early tetrad stage (left panel). Subsequently, the plasma membrane becomes undulated (middle panel) and sporopollenin deposits on the peak of the undulated plasma membrane to form bacula and tectum (right panel).After meiosis, four microspores were encased in callose to form a tetrad. Subsequently, the primexine develops between the callose layer and the microspore membrane (Fig. 1B), and the microspore plasma membrane becomes undulated (Fig. 1B; Fitzgerald and Knox, 1995; Southworth and Jernstedt, 1995). Sporopollenin precursors then accumulate on the peak of the undulated microspore membrane to form the bacula and tectum (Fig. 1B; Fitzgerald and Knox, 1995). After callose degradation, individual microspores are released from the tetrad, and the bacula and tectum continue to grow into exine with further sporopollenin deposition (Fitzgerald and Knox, 1995; Blackmore et al., 2007).The callose has been reported to affect primexine deposition and pollen wall pattern formation. The peripheral callose layer, secreted by the microsporocyte, acts as the mold for primexine (Waterkeyn and Bienfait, 1970; Heslop-Harrison, 1971). CALLOSE SYNTHASE5 (CalS5) is the major enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of the callose peripheral of the tetrad (Dong et al., 2005; Nishikawa et al., 2005). Mutation of Cals5 and abnormal CalS5 pre-mRNA splicing resulted in defective peripheral callose deposition and primexine formation (Dong et al., 2005; Nishikawa et al., 2005; Huang et al., 2013). Besides CalS5, four membrane-associated proteins have also been reported to be involved in primexine formation: DEFECTIVE EXINE FORMATION1 (DEX1; Paxson-Sowders et al., 1997, 2001), NO EXINE FORMATION1 (NEF1; Ariizumi et al., 2004), RUPTURED POLLEN GRAIN1 (RPG1; Guan et al., 2008; Sun et al., 2013), and NO PRIMEXINE AND PLASMA MEMBRANE UNDULATION (NPU; Chang et al., 2012). Mutation of DEX1 results in delayed primexine formation (Paxson-Sowders et al., 2001). The primexine in nef1 is coarse compared with the wild type (Ariizumi et al., 2004). The loss-of-function rpg1 shows reduced primexine deposition (Guan et al., 2008; Sun et al., 2013), while the npu mutant does not deposit any primexine (Chang et al., 2012). Recently, it was reported that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE G1 (CDKG1) associates with the spliceosome to regulate the CalS5 pre-mRNA splicing for pollen wall formation (Huang et al., 2013). Clearly, disrupted primexine deposition leads to aberrant pollen wall patterning and ruptured pollen grains in these mutants.The plant hormone auxin has multiple roles in plant reproductive development (Aloni et al., 2006; Sundberg and Østergaard, 2009). Knocking out the two auxin biosynthesis genes, YUC2 and YUC6, caused an essentially sterile phenotype in Arabidopsis (Cheng et al., 2006). Auxin transport is essential for anther development; defects in auxin flow in anther filaments resulted in abnormal pollen mitosis and pollen development (Feng et al., 2006). Ding et al. (2012) showed that the endoplasmic reticulum-localized auxin transporter PIN8 regulates auxin homeostasis and male gametophyte development in Arabidopsis. Evidence for the localization, biosynthesis, and transport of auxin indicates that auxin regulates anther dehiscence, pollen maturation, and filament elongation during late anther development (Cecchetti et al., 2004, 2008). The role of auxin in pollen wall development has not been reported.The auxin signaling pathway requires the auxin response factor (ARF) family proteins (Quint and Gray, 2006; Guilfoyle and Hagen, 2007; Mockaitis and Estelle, 2008; Vanneste and Friml, 2009). ARF proteins can either activate or repress the expression of target genes by directly binding to auxin response elements (AuxRE; TGTCTC/GAGACA) in the promoters (Ulmasov et al., 1999; Tiwari et al., 2003). The Arabidopsis ARF family contains 23 members. A subgroup in the ARF family, ARF10, ARF16, and ARF17, are targets of miRNA160 (Okushima et al., 2005b; Wang et al., 2005). Plants expressing miR160-resistant ARF17 exhibited pleiotropic developmental defects, including abnormal stamen structure and reduced fertility (Mallory et al., 2005). This indicates a potential role for ARF17 in plant fertility, although the detailed function remains unknown. In addition, ARF17 was also proposed to negatively regulate adventitious root formation (Sorin et al., 2005; Gutierrez et al., 2009), although an ARF17 knockout mutant was not reported and its phenotype is unknown.In this work, we isolated and characterized a loss-of-function mutant of ARF17. Results from cytological observations suggest that ARF17 controls callose biosynthesis and primexine deposition. Consistent with this, the ARF17 protein is highly abundant in microsporocytes and tetrads. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ARF17 protein is able to bind the promoter region of CalS5. Our results suggest that ARF17 regulates pollen wall pattern formation in Arabidopsis.     

Dynamic changes in primexine during the tetrad stage of pollen development

Formation of pollen wall exine is preceded by the development of several transient layers of extracellular materials deposited on the surface of developing pollen grains. One such layer is primexine (PE), a thin, ephemeral structure that is present only for a short period of time and is difficult to visualize and study. Recent genetic studies suggested that PE is a key factor in the formation of exine, making it critical to understand its composition and the dynamics of its formation. In this study, we used high-pressure frozen/freeze-substituted samples of developing Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pollen for a detailed transmission electron microscopy analysis of the PE ultrastructure throughout the tetrad stage of pollen development. We also analyzed anthers from wild-type Arabidopsis and three mutants defective in PE formation by immunofluorescence, carefully tracing several carbohydrate epitopes in PE and nearby anther tissues during the tetrad and the early free-microspore stages. Our analyses revealed likely sites where these carbohydrates are produced and showed that the distribution of these carbohydrates in PE changes significantly during the tetrad stage. We also identified tools for staging tetrads and demonstrate that components of PE undergo changes resembling phase separation. Our results indicate that PE behaves like a much more dynamic structure than has been previously appreciated and clearly show that Arabidopsis PE creates a scaffolding pattern for formation of reticulate exine.

Transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence analyses of Arabidopsis primexine reveal dynamic changes in its structure and composition throughout the tetrad stage of pollen development.     

Loss of THIN EXINE2 disrupts multiple processes in the mechanism of pollen exine formation

Exine, the sporopollenin-based outer layer of the pollen wall, forms through an unusual mechanism involving interactions between two anther cell types: developing pollen and tapetum. How sporopollenin precursors and other components required for exine formation are delivered from tapetum to pollen and assemble on the pollen surface is still largely unclear. Here, we characterized an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutant, thin exine2 (tex2), which develops pollen with abnormally thin exine. The TEX2 gene (also known as REPRESSOR OF CYTOKININ DEFICIENCY1 (ROCK1)) encodes a putative nucleotide–sugar transporter localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. Tapetal expression of TEX2 is sufficient for proper exine development. Loss of TEX2 leads to the formation of abnormal primexine, lack of primary exine elements, and subsequent failure of sporopollenin to correctly assemble into exine structures. Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated the carbohydrate composition of the tex2 primexine and found it accumulates increased amounts of arabinogalactans. Tapetum in tex2 accumulates prominent metabolic inclusions which depend on the sporopollenin polyketide biosynthesis and transport and likely correspond to a sporopollenin-like material. Even though such inclusions have not been previously reported, we show mutations in one of the known sporopollenin biosynthesis genes, LAP5/PKSB, but not in its paralog LAP6/PKSA, also lead to accumulation of similar inclusions, suggesting separate roles for the two paralogs. Finally, we show tex2 tapetal inclusions, as well as synthetic lethality in the double mutants of TEX2 and other exine genes, could be used as reporters when investigating genetic relationships between genes involved in exine formation.

Genetic, microscopy, and immunohistochemistry analyses place the Arabidopsis THIN EXINE2 protein at the intersection of several processes involved in the formation of pollen exine.     

POLLEN WALL AND TAPETAL ORBICULAR WALL DEVELOPMENT IN SORGHUM BICOLOR (GRAMINEAE)

Pollen wall development in Sorghum bicolor is morphologically and temporally paralleled by the formation of a prominent orbicular wall on the inner tangential surface of the tapetum. In the late tetrad stage, a thin, nearly uniform primexine forms around each microspore (except at the pore site) beneath the intact callose; concurrently, small spherical bodies (pro-orbicules) appear between the undulate tapetal plasmalemma and the disappearing tapetal primary wall. Within the primexine, differentially staining loci appear, which only develop into young bacula as the callose disappears. Thus, microspore walls are devoid of a visible exine pattern when released from tetrads. Afterwards, sporopollenin accumulates simultaneously on the primexine and bacula, forming the exine, and on the pro-orbicules, forming orbicules. Channels develop in the tectum and nexine, and both layers thicken to complete the microspore exine. Channeled sporopollenin also accumulates on the orbicules. A prominent sporopollenin reticulum interconnects the individual orbicules to produce an orbicular wall; this wall persists even after the tapetal protoplasts degenerate and after anthesis. While the pollen grains become engorged with reserves, a thick intine, containing conspicuous cytoplasmic channels, forms beneath the exine. Fibrous material collects beneath the orbicular wall. The parallel development and morphological similarities between the tapetal and pollen walls are discussed.     

Development of the echinate pollen wall inFarfugium japonicum (Compositae: Senecioneae)

Development of the echinate pollen grains inFarfugium (Compositae: Senecioneae) has been studied by a combination of transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy with a freeze fractured method. The inner surface of the callose wall surrounding each microspore does not possess an echinate pattern before primexine deposition begins. The primexine formation coincides with the initiation of spines. The freeze fractured primexine shows probacula which form transverse rods. The developing exine has an inner spongy substructure. The endexine is formed by the accumulation of the electron dense lamellae with white lines after the dissolution of the callose wall. In the present study, it is confirmed that the developmental process of pollen formation revealed in the field emission scanning electron microscope is consistent with the results obtained using the transmission electron microscope.     

DEX1, a Novel Plant Protein, Is Required for Exine Pattern Formation during Pollen Development in Arabidopsis

To identify factors that are required for proper pollen wall formation, we have characterized the T-DNA-tagged, dex1 mutation of Arabidopsis, which results in defective pollen wall pattern formation. This study reports the isolation and molecular characterization of DEX1 and morphological and ultrastructural analyses of dex1 plants. DEX1 encodes a novel plant protein that is predicted to be membrane associated and contains several potential calcium-binding domains. Pollen wall development in dex1 plants parallels that of wild-type plants until the early tetrad stage. In dex1 plants, primexine deposition is delayed and significantly reduced. The normal rippling of the plasma membrane and production of spacers observed in wild-type plants is also absent in the mutant. Sporopollenin is produced and randomly deposited on the plasma membrane in dex1 plants. However, it does not appear to be anchored to the microspore and forms large aggregates on the developing microspore and the locule walls. Based on the structure of DEX1 and the phenotype of dex1 plants, several potential roles for the protein are proposed.     

Exine formation in the pollinium ofDendrobium

Summary The position of the callose wall is related to the position of the primexine matrix that forms around the peripheral tetrads during microspore development of the compound unit, the pollinium. We report a combined freeze-fracture and freeze-substitution study of the events associated with early exine development. Stage one of exine development is deposition of protosporopollenin that is probably synthesised by the microspore and secreted to the primexine matrix where it is polymerised. Enzymes for the polymerisation of the protosporopollenin may be synthesised by the microspores and then transported, via the endoplasmic reticulum, to the plasma membrane. Stage two of exine development follows callose dissolution and deposition of tapetally derived sporopollenin. Hence exine form and exine deposition inDendrobium appear to be the result of intimate cooperation between the microspore, the plasma membrane, the callose and the tapetum.     

The Transfer of Pollenkitt in Smyrnium perfoliatum (Apiaceae)

In Smyrnium perfoliatum the formation of pollenkitt within asecretory tapetum, and the subsequent breakdown of the cellorganelles, is followed by the transformation of pollenkittlumps into pollenkitt droplets. These droplets move within alocular fluid towards the pollen exine, where they enter theexine cavities after passing a fibrillar layer (remnants ofthe primexine-matrix) in between the tectum elements. This isfollowed by the fusion of pollenkitt droplets, forming a distinctlayer at the bottom of the exine cavities. Smyrnium perfoliatum L., Apiaceae, tapetum, pollenkitt formation, organelle disintegration, transformation, pollenkitt deposition, primexine matrix     

No primexine and plasma membrane undulation is essential for primexine deposition and plasma membrane undulation during microsporogenesis in Arabidopsis

Primexine deposition and plasma membrane undulation are the initial steps of pollen wall formation. However, little is known about the genes involved in this important biological process. Here, we report a novel gene, NO PRIMEXINE AND PLASMA MEMBRANE UNDULATION (NPU), which functions in the early stage of pollen wall development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Loss of NPU function causes male sterility due to a defect in callose synthesis and sporopollenin deposition, resulting in disrupted pollen in npu mutants. Transmission electronic microscopy observation demonstrated that primexine deposition and plasma membrane undulation are completely absent in the npu mutants. NPU encodes a membrane protein with two transmembrane domains and one intracellular domain. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that NPU is strongly expressed in microspores and the tapetum during the tetrad stage. All these results together indicate that NPU plays a vital role in primexine deposition and plasma membrane undulation during early pollen wall development.     

Ultrastructure of microsporogenesis and microgametogenesis in Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. (Bignoniaceae)

In the present study, microsporogenesis, microgametogenesis and pollen wall ontogeny in Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. were studied from sporogenous cell stage to mature pollen using transmission electron microscopy. To observe the ultrastructural changes that occur in sporogenous cells, microspores and pollen through progressive developmental stages, anthers at different stages of development were fixed and embedded in Araldite. Microspore and pollen development in C. radicans follows the basic scheme in angiosperms. Microsporocytes secrete callose wall before meiotic division. Meiocytes undergo meiosis and simultaneous cytokinesis which result in the formation of tetrads mostly with a tetrahedral arrangement. After the development of free and vacuolated microspores, respectively, first mitotic division occurs and two-celled pollen grain is produced. Pollen grains are shed from the anther at two-celled stage. Pollen wall formation in C. radicans starts at tetrad stage by the formation of exine template called primexine. By the accumulation of electron dense material, produced by microspore, in the special places of the primexine, first of all protectum then columellae of exine elements are formed on the reticulate-patterned plasma membrane. After free microspore stage, exine development is completed by the addition of sporopollenin from tapetum. Formation of intine layer of pollen wall starts at the late vacuolated stage of pollen development and continue through the bicellular pollen stage.     

RPG1-B-Derived Resistance to AvrB-Expressing Pseudomonas syringae Requires RIN4-Like Proteins in Soybean

Soybean (Glycine max) RPG1-B (for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv glycinea) mediates species-specific resistance to P. syringae expressing the avirulence protein AvrB, similar to the nonorthologous RPM1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). RPM1-derived signaling is presumably induced upon AvrB-derived modification of the RPM1-interacting protein, RIN4 (for RPM1-interacting 4). We show that, similar to RPM1, RPG1-B does not directly interact with AvrB but associates with RIN4-like proteins from soybean. Unlike Arabidopsis, soybean contains at least four RIN4-like proteins (GmRIN4a to GmRIN4d). GmRIN4b, but not GmRIN4a, complements the Arabidopsis rin4 mutation. Both GmRIN4a and GmRIN4b bind AvrB, but only GmRIN4b binds RPG1-B. Silencing either GmRIN4a or GmRIN4b abrogates RPG1-B-derived resistance to P. syringae expressing AvrB. Binding studies show that GmRIN4b interacts with GmRIN4a as well as with two other AvrB/RPG1-B-interacting isoforms, GmRIN4c and GmRIN4d. The lack of functional redundancy among GmRIN4a and GmRIN4b and their abilities to interact with each other suggest that the two proteins might function as a heteromeric complex in mediating RPG1-B-derived resistance. Silencing GmRIN4a or GmRIN4b in rpg1-b plants enhances basal resistance to virulent strains of P. syringae and the oomycete Phytophthora sojae. Interestingly, GmRIN4a- or GmRIN4b-silenced rpg1-b plants respond differently to AvrB-expressing bacteria. Although both GmRIN4a and GmRIN4b function to monitor AvrB in the presence of RPG1-B, GmRIN4a, but not GmRIN4b, negatively regulates AvrB virulence activity in the absence of RPG1-B.One of the myriad plant defense responses activated upon pathogen invasion is signaling induced via the activation of resistance (R) proteins. R gene-mediated resistance is generally activated in response to race-specific pathogen effectors, termed avirulence proteins (Avr), and often results in the development of a hypersensitive reaction at the site of pathogen entry (Dangl et al., 1996). The hypersensitive reaction is a form of programmed cell death that results in the formation of necrotic lesions around the site of pathogen entry and is thought to help prevent pathogen spread by confining it to the dead cells.A majority of the known R proteins contain conserved structural domains, including N-terminal coiled coil (CC) or Toll-interleukin 1 receptor (TIR)-like domains, central nucleotide-binding site (NBS), and C-terminal Leu-rich repeat (LRR) domains (Martin et al., 2003). While some R proteins “perceive” pathogen presence via direct physical interactions with the cognate Avr proteins (Scofield et al., 1996; Jia et al., 2000; Leister and Katagiri, 2000; Deslandes et al., 2003), several others likely do so indirectly. This led to the suggestion that R proteins monitor the presence of Avr proteins by “guarding” other host proteins targeted by the pathogen effector (Van der Biezen and Jones, 1998; Innes, 2004; Jones and Dangl, 2006). Avr proteins enhance pathogen virulence in genetic backgrounds lacking cognate R proteins by targeting components of the host basal defense machinery, including “guardee” proteins (Chang et al., 2000; Guttman and Greenberg, 2001; Chen et al., 2004, Kim et al., 2005b; Ong and Innes, 2006; van Esse et al., 2007; Shan et al., 2008; Xiang et al., 2008). However, some Avr proteins were found to also target host proteins that do not contribute to the virulence function of the effector (Shang et al., 2006; Shabab et al., 2008; Zhou and Chai, 2008; Zipfel and Rathjen, 2008). This led to the proposition that plants express “decoy” proteins that mimic Avr-guardee recognition in the presence of the R protein. This decoy model suggests that, unlike guardees, decoy proteins do not directly contribute to host basal immunity, such that Avr-derived alterations of decoys do not enhance pathogen virulence in plants lacking the R protein (van der Hoorn and Kamoun, 2008).A well-studied example of an indirect mode of effector recognition is that of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) R protein, RPM1 (for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv maculicola 1). RPM1 mediates resistance against bacteria expressing two different Avr proteins, AvrRpm1 (AvrRpm1_PmaM6) and AvrB (AvrB1_Pgyrace4). Although RPM1 does not directly interact with either AvrRpm1 or AvrB, it does associate with RIN4 (for RPM1-interacting 4), which interacts with AvrRpm1 and AvrB. RIN4 is required for RPM1-induced resistance to AvrRpm1/AvrB-expressing P. syringae (Mackey et al., 2002). Both AvrRpm1 and AvrB induce the phosphorylation of RIN4, which is thought to induce RPM1-mediated resistance signaling. RIN4 also associates with a second Arabidopsis R protein, RPS2 (for resistance to P. syringae), which mediates resistance against P. syringae expressing AvrRpt2. RPS2-mediated signaling is activated when AvrRpt2 (AvrRpt2_PtoJL1065), a Cys protease, cleaves RIN4 (Axtell and Staskawicz, 2003; Mackey et al., 2003; Kim et al., 2005a). The AvrRpt2-triggered loss of RIN4 compromises RPM1-mediated resistance, because RIN4 is not available for phosphorylation (Ritter and Dangl, 1996; Axtell and Staskawicz, 2003; Mackey et al., 2003).The avirulence effector AvrB was first isolated from a P. syringae strain colonizing soybean (Glycine max) and used to identify the cognate resistance locus RPG1 in soybean (Staskawicz et al., 1987; Keen and Buzzell, 1991). This locus contains the RPG1-B (for resistance to P. syringae pv glycinea) gene, which encodes a CC-NBS-LRR protein conferring resistance to AvrB-expressing P. syringae in soybean (Bisgrove et al., 1994; Ashfield et al., 2004). Unlike RPM1, RPG1-B does not confer specificity to AvrRpm1 (Ashfield et al., 1995). However, as in Arabidopsis, the soybean RPG1-B-derived hypersensitive reaction to AvrB-expressing bacteria is inhibited by the presence of AvrRpt2-expressing bacteria (Axtell and Staskawicz, 2003, Mackey et al., 2003; Ashfield et al., 2004). This suggests that RPG1-B and RPM1 might utilize common signaling components even though they share very limited sequence identity. Therefore, we investigated the possible involvement of RIN4-like proteins in RPG1-B-mediated resistance signaling. In addition to Arabidopsis, RIN4-like proteins have also been identified in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa; Jeuken et al., 2009; Luo et al., 2009). In tomato, the NBS-LRR protein, Prf (for Pseudomonas resistance and fenthion sensitivity), and its interacting protein kinase, Pto, mediate resistance to the AvrPto (AvrPto1_PtoJL1065)-expressing strain of P. syringae (Scofield et al., 1996; Tang et al., 1996; Kim et al., 2002; Mucyn et al., 2006). AvrPto binds RIN4 proteins from both Arabidopsis (AtRIN4) and tomato (SlRIN4). Similar to AvrRpt2, AvrPto induces the proteolysis of RIN4, albeit only in the presence of Pto and Prf (Luo et al., 2009). However, in the case of AvrPto, degradation of RIN4 is the result of induced proteolytic activity in the plant, rather than that of AvrPto itself. In Lactuca (lettuce) species, the L. saligna RIN4 allele was recently shown to be essential for resistance to an avirulent strain of the downy mildew pathogen, Bremia lactucae (Jeuken et al., 2009).Here, we report that two functionally nonredundant isoforms of soybean RIN4 (GmRIN4) function in RPG1-B-derived resistance as well as in the virulence activity of AvrB in the absence of RPG1-B.     

ONTOGENETIC AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS OF A NEOTENOUS EXINE IN TAPEINOCHILOS (ZINGIBERALES: COSTACEAE) POLLEN

Tapeinochilos pollen, like that of most angiosperms, is spared by the standard acetolysis treatment because the sporoderm is impregnated with sporopollenin. This genus and its allies in the Costaceae are the only taxa in the eight families of Zingiberales that have acetolysis-resistant pollen. The sporoderm in most of the order is characterized by exine reduced to a wispy coating or layer with delicately anchored spinules and a highly elaborated intine. Ultrastructural studies on the pollen of Tapeinochilos reveal a pattern of wall development that is significantly different from the generalized angiosperm type; namely, there are no columellae, nor is there any significant accretion of sporopollenin following the dissolution of callose and release of microspores. The primexine is composed of rodlets which build up solidly between apertures and become packed into layers to form a thick, stratified exinous covering. No secondary exine develops during the free spore period and the juvenile primexine persists as the protective coat on the mature pollen grain. This pattern of pollen development is viewed as an example of neoteny in which a juvenile or immature character is retained in adulthood.