Expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aprotinin</Emphasis> in Anther Causes Male Sterility in Tobacco var <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petit havana</Emphasis>

Expression of many proteinases has been documented during anther development. Although their roles are not completely understood, their inhibition could possibly result in impairment of anther development leading to male sterility. We proposed that such an impairment of anther development can be engineered in plants resulting in male sterile plants that can be used for hybrid seed production. Here, we report that anther-specific expression of Aprotinin gene (serine proteinase inhibitor) in tobacco has resulted in male sterility. Southern analysis and zymogram analysis confirmed the integration and expression of Aprotinin gene in the anthers of the transgenic plants. Transverse sections of anthers of transgenic male sterile plants showed damaged tapetum. The pollen germination in the transgenic plants ranged between 2% and 65% that confirmed the impairment in pollen production leading to male sterility and low seed yield. Thus, inhibition of serine proteinases that are expressed during anther development has resulted in impaired pollen production and male sterility, though the exact role of these proteinases in anther development still has to be elucidated.     

高通量转录组测序技术在植物雄性不育研究中的应用

植物雄性不育是指植物雄蕊发育受阻不能产生正常有功能花粉的现象。植物雄性不育不仅是生殖生理研究的宝贵材料,也是植物杂种优势利用的重要工具。由于高通量转录组测序技术几乎可以检测细胞内所有mRNA及非编码RNA的信息,已被广泛应用于生命科学研究的各项领域。在植物雄性不育相关研究中,高通量转录组测序技术在不同物种、不同败育类型中的应用已有报道,这为研究者在转录组水平综合了解植物雄性不育的分子机制及代谢网络提供了帮助。本文从测序文库构建策略、差异表达基因、非编码RNA的功能特征等方面综述了高通量转录组测序在植物雄性不育机理方面的研究进展,并探讨了转录组测序技术在花粉败育机制解析及育性相关基因定位中的应用价值,以期为植物雄性不育的相关研究提供参考。     

Expression of Engineered Nuclear Male Sterility in Brassica napus (Genetics,Morphology, Cytology,and Sensitivity to Temperature)

A dominant genetic male sterility trait obtained through transformation in rapeseed (Brassica napus) was studied in the progenies of 11 transformed plants. The gene conferring the male sterility consists of a ribonuclease gene under the control of a tapetum-specific promoter. Two ribonuclease genes, RNase T1 and barnase, were used. The chimaeric ribonuclease gene was linked to the bialophos-resistance gene, which confers resistance to the herbicide phosphinotricine (PPT). The resistance to the herbicide was used as a dominant marker for the male sterility trait. The study presented here concerns three aspects of this engineered male sterility: genetics correlated with the segregation of the T-DNA in the progenies; expression of the male sterility in relation to the morphology and cytology of the androecium; and stability of the engineered male sterility under different culture conditions. Correct segregation, 50% male-sterile, PPT-resistant plants, and 50% male-fertile, susceptible plants were observed in the progeny of seven transformants. The most prominent morphological change in the male-sterile flowers was a noticeable reduction in the length of the stamen filament. The first disturbances of microsporogenesis were observed from the free microspore stage and were followed by a simultaneous degeneration of microspore and tapetal cell content. At anthesis, the sterile anthers contained only empty exines. In some cases, reversion to fertility of male-sterile plants has been observed. Both ribonuclease genes are susceptible to instability. Instability of the RNase T1-male sterility trait increased at temperatures higher than 25[deg] C. Our results do not allow us to confirm this observation for the barnase male-sterile plants. However, the male-sterile plants of the progeny of two independent RNase T1 transformants were stably male sterile under all conditions studied.     

Cytological and Comparative Proteomic Analyses on Male Sterility in Brassica napus L. Induced by the Chemical Hybridization Agent Monosulphuron Ester Sodium

Male sterility induced by a chemical hybridization agent (CHA) is an important tool for utilizing crop heterosis. Monosulphuron ester sodium (MES), a new acetolactate synthase-inhibitor herbicide belonging to the sulphonylurea family, has been developed as an effective CHA to induce male sterility in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). To understand MES-induced male sterility in rapeseed better, comparative cytological and proteomic analyses were conducted in this study. Cytological analysis indicated that defective tapetal cells and abnormal microspores were gradually generated in the developing anthers of MES-treated plants at various development stages, resulting in unviable microspores and male sterility. A total of 141 differentially expressed proteins between the MES-treated and control plants were revealed, and 131 of them were further identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Most of these proteins decreased in abundance in tissues of MES-treated rapeseed plants, and only a few increased. Notably, some proteins were absent or induced in developing anthers after MES treatment. These proteins were involved in several processes that may be crucial for tapetum and microspore development. Down-regulation of these proteins may disrupt the coordination of developmental and metabolic processes, resulting in defective tapetum and abnormal microspores that lead to male sterility in MES-treated plants. Accordingly, a simple model of CHA-MES-induced male sterility in rapeseed was established. This study is the first cytological and dynamic proteomic investigation on CHA-MES-induced male sterility in rapeseed, and the results provide new insights into the molecular events of male sterility.     

玉米雄性不育资源的发掘与利用

植物雄性不育是指植物雄性生殖器官不能产生正常有功能花粉的现象.玉米(Zea mays L.)是重要的粮食作物之一,也是较早利用杂种优势的作物之一.当前,生产上广泛种植的玉米品种类型主要是单交种.我国玉米杂交种的播种面积常年稳定在6.2亿亩左右,年用种量10亿公斤以上,常年制种面积高达250多万亩.利用传统的人工去雄或机...     

A light and electron microscopy analysis of the events leading to male sterility in Ogu-INRA CMS of rapeseed (Brassica napus)

Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) occurs naturally in radishand has been introduced into rapeseed (Brassica napus) by protoplastfusion. As with all CMS systems, it involves a constitutivelyexpressed mitochondrial gene which induces male sterility tootherwise hermaphroditic plants (so they become females) anda nuclear gene named restorer of fertility that restores pollenproduction in plants carrying a sterility-inducing cytoplasm.A correlative approach using light and electron microscopy wasapplied to define what stages throughout development were affectedand the subcellular events leading to the abortion of the developingpollen grains upon the expression of the mitochondrial protein.Three central stages of development (tetrad, mid-microsporeand vacuolate microspore) were compared between fertile, restored,and sterile plants. At each stage observed, the pollen in fertileand restored plants had similar cellular structures and organization.The deleterious effect of the sterility protein expression startedas early as the tetrad stage. No typical mitochondria were identifiedin the tapetum at any developmental stage and in the vacuolatemicrospores of the sterile plants. In addition, some strikingultrastructural alterations of the cell's organization werealso observed compared with the normal pattern of development.The results showed that Ogu-INRA CMS was due to premature celldeath events of the tapetal cells, presumably by an autolysisprocess rather than a normal PCD, which impairs pollen developmentat the vacuolate microspore stage, in the absence of functionalmitochondria. Key words: Brassica napus, cell death, light and electron microscopy, mitochondria, plastids, pollen development, Ogu-INRA cytoplasmic male sterility, transgenic-restored plants, tapetum Received 30 September 2007; Revised 11 December 2007 Accepted 20 December 2007     

Mitochondrial genome organization and cytoplasmic male sterility in plants

Plant mitochondrial genomes are much larger and more complex than those of other eukaryotic organisms. They contain a very active recombination system and have a multipartite genome organization with a master circle resolving into two or more subgenomic circles by recombination through repeated sequences. Their protein coding capacity is very low and is comparable to that of animal and fungal systems. Several subunits of mitochondrial functional complexes, a complete set of tRNAs and 26S, 18S and 5S rRNAs are coded by the plant mitochondrial genome. The protein coding genes contain group II introns. The organelle genome contains stretches of DNA sequences homologous to chloroplast DNA. It also contains actively transcribed DNA sequences having open reading frames. Plasmid like DNA molecules are found in mitochondria of some plants Cytoplasmic male sterility in plants, characterized by failure to produce functional pollen grains, is a maternally inherited trait. This phenomenon has been found in many species of plants and is conveniently used for hybrid plant production. The genetic determinants for cytoplasmic male sterility reside in the mitochondrial genome. Some species of plants exhibit more than one type of cytoplasmic male sterility. Several nuclear genes are known to control expression of cytoplasmic male sterility. Different cytoplasmic male sterility types are distinguished by their specific nuclear genes(rfs) which restore pollen fertility. Cytoplasmic male sterility types are also characterized by mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns, variations in mitochondrial RNAs, differences in protein synthetic profiles, differences in sensitivity to fungal toxins and insecticides, presence of plasmid DNAs or RNAs and also presence of certain unique sequences in the genome. Recently nuclear male sterility systems based on (i) over expression of agrobacterialrol C gene and (ii) anther specific expression of an RNase gene have been developed in tobacco andBrassica by genetic engineering methods.     

THE ASSOCIATION OF A SINGLE B-CHROMOSOME WITH MALE STERILITY IN PLANTAGO CORONOPUS

Paliwal , Ripsudan L. (B. R. College, Agra, India.), and Beal B. Hyde . The association of a single B-chromosome with male sterility in Plantago coronopus. Amer. Jour. Bot. 46(6): 460–466. Illus. 1959.—Two species of Plantago showing male sterility have been studied cytogenetically. In P. ovata (n=4) the sterility appears to be cytoplasmic. In P. coronopus (n=5) all male-sterile plants contain a single extra chromosome which is largely heterochromatic, shorter, and not homologous with any of the other chromosomes. No male-fertile plants contain this B-chromosome. Meiosis is regular in the male-sterile lines. The accessory chromosome usually does not divide and moves to one pole at the first division of meiosis and divides regularly in the second division. Degeneration of all microspores occurs before pollen mitosis. Male-sterile plants are apomictic, but whether or not male-fertile plants are also apomictic has not yet been determined.     

Evidence of programmed cell death during microsporogenesis in an interspecific Brachiaria (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) hybrid

Morphological changes have been investigated during plant programmed cell death (PCD) in the last few years due to the new interest in a possible apoptotic-like phenomenon existing in plants. Although PCD has been reported in several tissues and specialized cells in plants, there have been few reports of its occurrence during microsporogenesis. The present study reports a typical process of PCD during meiosis in an interspecific Brachiaria hybrid leading to male sterility. In this hybrid, some inflorescences initiated meiosis but it was arrested in zygotene/pachytene. From this stage, meiocytes underwent a severe alteration in shape showing substantial membrane blebbing; the cytoplasm became denser at the periphery; the cell nucleus entered a progressive stage of chromatin disintegration, and then the nucleolus disintegrated, and the cytoplasm condensed and shrunk. The oldest flowers of the raceme showed only the callose wall in the anthers showing obvious signs of complete sterility.     

高等植物雄性不育的细胞生物学研究进展

高等植物的雄性不育有多种类型,发生的原因复杂。对高等植物雄性不育机理的探索一直是一个活跃的研究领域。近年来采用多种细胞生物学方法对植物雄性不育的研究取得了一些新的成果,从绒毡层细胞结构与功能的分析以及Ca^2＋、ATP酶的分布特征、细胞骨架的排列方式、细胞程序性死亡等不同的细胞生物学研究角度探索了雄性不育花药的败育过程。雄性不育的细胞生物学研究结果起到了将分子水平研究与个体水平研究结果相联系的纽带作用,有助于全面地了解高等植物中各种雄性不育的发生机理。     

TA29-barnase基因转化菜心

利用根癌农杆菌导入法, 以菜心带柄子叶为外植体, 对TA29-barnase基因转化菜心进行研究。获得转化植株,进行PCR、Southern blotting杂交和半定量RT-PCR检测, 表明目的基因已经整合到转化植株中, 并且目的基因在转基因植株花蕾中得到表达, 但是表达水平在不同转基因植株间存在差别; 转基因植株开花后, 均表现雄性不育, 不能产生花粉或产生没有活力的少量花粉, 自交不能结实; 用未转化植株正常花粉对雄性不育植株进行授粉, 能够正常结实; 保持系(未转化植株)与不育株杂交后代中雄性不育株与可育株的比例为1:1, 在杂交后代植株子叶期, 喷洒10 mg/L的PPT可以完全杀死可育株; 利用其他菜心品种为父本与不育株进行杂交, 获得的F1植株在生长势和产量方面表现优势, 表明开展菜心优势育种具有一定的潜力。     

The pachytene checkpoint and its relationship to evolutionary patterns of polyploidization and hybrid sterility

Sterility is a commonly observed phenotype in interspecific hybrids. Sterility may result from chromosomal or genic incompatibilities, and much progress has been made toward understanding the genetic basis of hybrid sterility in various taxa. The underlying mechanisms causing hybrid sterility, however, are less well known. The pachytene checkpoint is a meiotic surveillance system that many organisms use to detect aberrant meiotic products, in order to prevent the production of defective gametes. We suggest that activation of the pachytene checkpoint may be an important mechanism contributing to two types of hybrid sterility. First, the pachytene checkpoint may form the mechanistic basis of some gene-based hybrid sterility phenotypes. Second, the pachytene checkpoint may be an important mechanism that mediates chromosomal-based hybrid sterility phenotypes involving gametes with non-haploid (either non-reduced or aneuploid) chromosome sets. Studies in several species suggest that the strength of the pachytene checkpoint is sexually dimorphic, observations that warrant future investigation into whether such variation may contribute to differences in patterns of sterility between male and female interspecific hybrids. In addition, plants seem to lack the pachytene checkpoint, which correlates with increased production of unreduced gametes and a higher incidence of polyploid species in plants versus animals. Although the pachytene checkpoint occurs in many animals and in fungi, at least some of the genes that execute the pachytene checkpoint are different among organisms. This finding suggests that the penetrance of the pachytene checkpoint, and even its presence or absence can evolve rapidly. The surprising degree of evolutionary flexibility in this meiotic surveillance system may contribute to the observed variation in patterns of hybrid sterility and in rates of polyploidization.     

利用生物技术创建主要作物雄性不育杂交育种和制种的技术体系

雄性不育技术在作物杂种优势利用和杂交种生产中发挥着重要作用。基于核质互作雄性不育的“三系法”与光温敏核不育的“两系法”已经在水稻等主要作物的杂交制种中获得了广泛应用,但是存在着资源利用效率低、育性不稳定、易受外界环境影响等诸多问题。近三十年来,利用生物技术创建不同类型的植物雄性不育系取得了一系列突破性进展。主要针对玉米、水稻、小麦三大作物的基因工程雄性不育技术的最新进展进行总结,特别详细地描述了本实验室最近研究创制的玉米多控不育技术体系,以期为相关研究和产业化应用提供技术参考。     

TA29-barnase基因转化菜心

利用根癌农杆菌导入法, 以菜心带柄子叶为外植体, 对TA29-barnase基因转化菜心进行研究。获得转化植株,进行PCR、Southern blotting杂交和半定量RT-PCR检测, 表明目的基因已经整合到转化植株中, 并且目的基因在转基因植株花蕾中得到表达, 但是表达水平在不同转基因植株间存在差别; 转基因植株开花后, 均表现雄性不育, 不能产生花粉或产生没有活力的少量花粉, 自交不能结实; 用未转化植株正常花粉对雄性不育植株进行授粉, 能够正常结实; 保持系(未转化植株)与不育株杂交后代中雄性不育株与可育株的比例为1:1, 在杂交后代植株子叶期, 喷洒10 mg/L的PPT可以完全杀死可育株; 利用其他菜心品种为父本与不育株进行杂交, 获得的F1植株在生长势和产量方面表现优势, 表明开展菜心优势育种具有一定的潜力。     

Differential proteomic analysis of polyubiquitin-related proteins in chemical hybridization agent-induced wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) male sterility

Protein polyubiquitination is a significant regulator of diverse physiological functions, including sexual reproduction, in plants. Chemical hybridizing agents (CHA) SQ-1 has been shown to induce male sterility in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through inhibition of pollen development. This mechanism by which CHA induces male sterility in wheat is unclear. In this study, differential proteomic analysis of polyubiquitinated proteins associated with wheat male sterility was investigated. Wheat plants of the same genetic background were treated with or without CHA. Ubiquitinated proteins were then extracted and enriched for proteomic analysis. Differentially expressed polyubiquitinated proteins in trinuclear stage anther were identified by nanospray liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 127 and 131 differentially expressed polyubiquitinated proteins, including heat shock protein 70, ATPase subunit, glycosyltransferase, ubiquitin-related enzyme, and 20S proteasome subunit, were successfully identified by searching against wheat protein database and NCBInr database, respectively. Most of these proteins are related to photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, and multiple metabolic processes. These findings show that alteration of polyubiquitinated proteins is associated with male sterility in wheat.     

A new source of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize induced by the nuclear gene,iojap

Summary Cytoplasmic male sterility (cms) was found in plants derived from the F₂ progeny of fertile, normal cytoplasm plants of the inbred R181 pollinated with a genetic stock carrying the recessive nuclear gene, iojap. The male sterile plants were maintained by back-crossing with the inbred W182BN which maintains all known sources of cytoplasmic male sterility. The new male sterile progeny were found to exhibit stable male sterility under field conditions in two environments. However, they were partially fertile in the hot, dry summer of 1983 at Aurora, NY. It was found that these lines were restored by lines that characteristically restore cms S group cytoplasms. Pollen phenotype studies indicated that the restoration was gametophytic in nature, also characteristic of the cms S group. Agarose gel electrophoresis of undigested mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from these steriles indicated that these lines have the S-1 and S-2 episomes characteristic of the cms S group. Restriction endonuclease digest patterns of mtDNA from these sterile lines digested with BamH I indicated that these steriles fit into the CA subgroup of the cms S group. The new source of cms has been designated cms Ij-1.     

Expression of CMS in zygotic and apozygotic progenies of sugar beet Beta vulgaris L

Zygotic and apozygotic progenies of sugar beet exhibit high phenotypic variation with respect to cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). There are progenies with completely sterile, semisterile, semifertile, and fertile pollen. The proportions of semifertile and fertile plants in zygotic and apozygotic progenies varied from zero to 28% and from zero to 17.8%, respectively. Comparison of the phenotypic distributions in zygotic and apozygotic progenies did not reveal significant differences in the CMS expression, although the latter is determined by the maternal S-plasmotype and both maternal and paternal (pollinator) genotypes in zygotic progenies and only by the maternal S-plasmotype and genotype in apozygotic progenies. It has been hypothesized that the instability of the CMS expression in apozygotic progenies is determined by epigenetic variation in the activities of the genes that control the maintenance of the pollen-grain sterility. Inactivated dominant alleles Rf1(0) and Rf2(0) in homozygous state may function as sterility maintenance genes, whereas activation of these alleles during ontogeny results in a partial or complete restoration of pollen-grain fertility. It was demonstrated that pollen fertility of mother plants with S cytoplasm did not affect the CMS expression in two sib progenies. Conversely, in two other progenies, the proportion of fertile plants was significantly higher in the sib progenies of mother plants with fertile pollen and S cytoplasm (inheritance of epigenetic variation).     

The male sterile G cytoplasm of wild beet displays modified mitochondrial respiratory complexes

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in higher plants has been mainly studied in cultivated species. In most cases, pollen abortion is linked to the presence of an additional mitochondrial polypeptide leading to organelle dysfunction in reproductive tissues. In wild beet, both CMS and hermaphrodite plants coexist in natural populations. The G cytoplasm is widely distributed along the Western European coast, and previous genetic studies have demonstrated that this cytoplasm confers male sterility in beet. In the present study, we have identified two mutations of G mitochondrial genes, each of which results in the production of a respiratory chain complex subunit with an altered molecular weight; the NAD9 subunit has a C-terminal extension while the COX2 subunit has a truncated C-terminus. NADH dehydrogenase activity was unchanged in leaves, but cytochrome c oxidase activity was reduced by 50%. Moreover, Western blot analyses revealed that alternative oxidase was more abundant in male sterile G plants than in a fertile control (Nv), suggesting that this alternative pathway might compensate for the cytochrome c oxidase deficiency. Implications of respiratory chain changes and a putative link with CMS are discussed.