Calcium distribution in fertile and sterile anthers of thermosensitive male-sterile wheat

Calcium distribution in fertile and sterile anthers of a thermosensitive male-sterile wheat genotype was investigated using an antimonate precipitation method. During fertile anther development, before meiosis of the microspore mother cells, calcium precipitates were apparent in tapetal cells of the anther wall. After meiosis, precipitates were detected in the early microspores and accumulated in the large vacuole of late microspores. After microspore division, following decomposition of the large vacuole, precipitates decreased in the bicellular pollen. The earliest abnormality in calcium precipitate distribution detected during sterile pollen development was the greater accumulation of precipitates in the cytoplasm and nucleus of late microspores. The sterile microspore can divide to form bicellular pollen, but the large vacuole of sterile bicellular pollen did not decompose and greater abundance of precipitates was retained in the large vacuole. Abnormal distribution of calcium precipitates in sterile pollen precedes structural changes, suggesting that abnormal calcium metabolism is associated with pollen abortion.     

光敏核不育水稻开花和育性转变不同的光反应

从光敏核不育水稻"农垦585"幼穗分化至二次枝梗期开始,在每天的短日照光期（10h日光）结束、暗期开始时（EOD）进行15d的远红光（FR）照射实验,以比较开花、育性转变过程对短暂的远红光（FR）或红光（R）的反应。EODFR明显抑制水稻植株开花（穗分化）,导致"农垦585"和原种"农垦58"的抽穗期均比短日照下推退7d,表现为长日照效应,而"农垦58S"的结实率与原种相比却无显著变化。这暗示诱导农垦58S开花、育性转变过程的光反应可能有差异,前者不仅与光周期有关,且受EODFR的剧烈影响,而育性主要受光周期（临界暗期）控制,基本上不受EODFR的调控。     

Effect of End-of-day far-red light exposures on fertility alteration and flowering in photoperiod-sensitive genic male-sterile rice

The rice photoperiod-sensitive genic male-sterile mutant (PGMR) is sterile under long days, but fertile in short days. Phytochrome is involved in the photoperiod-induced male-sterile process. To investigate the mechanisms, of phytochrome action in PGMR, end-of-day (EOD) experiments were carried out. Flowering in PGMR was delayed considerably by EOD far-red light exposures following a short day of 10 hr, whereas its fertility decreased to the same extent as the original line. This result suggests that photoperiod response mediating fertility alteration in PGMR somewhat differed from that in flowering,i.e., fertility alteration and flowering might be under the separate phytochrome signaling control.     

Fertility response to photoperiod and temperature in indica photoperiod-sensitive male sterile rice

The aim of this work was to develop a photoperiod-sensitive male sterile rice with stable sterility. We developed Changguang S, an indica rice strain, by using a short critical day length. Differences in the fertility responses of Changguang S strain pollen to temperature and photoperiod under natural and controlled conditions were studied. The results showed that Changguang S strain exhibited stable sterility under long-day and low-temperature conditions (22°C, 15 days). The stability of sterility was significantly higher than that of other such rice strains, Nongken 58S and 7001S. The critical photoperiod for inducing male sterility in Changguang S was 13 h or shorter, and its duration was significantly shorter than that required for rice strains Nongken 58S and 7001S. It is suggested that Changguang S is a typical photoperiod-sensitive male sterile rice strain with a shorter critical day length and a lower critical temperature. It is promising to apply this strain to two-line hybrid rice production.     

Genetic bases of instability of male sterility and fertility reversibility in photoperiod-sensitive genic male-sterile rice

Photoperiod-sensitive genetic male-sterile (PSGMS) rice, with its male fertility regulated by photoperiod length, is very useful for hybrid rice development. However, breeding for new PSGMS lines has faced two major difficulties – the stability of male sterility and the reversibility of male fertility. In this study we assessed the genetic bases of stability of sterility and fertility reversibility using a molecular marker-based approach. A cross was made between two newly bred PSGMS lines: Peiai 64S, which has a stable sterility but is difficult to reverse to fertility, and 8902S, which has a unstable sterility but is easy to reverse to fertility. The fertility of the parents and of the F₁ and F₂ populations was repeatedly examined under 11 different long-day and short-day conditions. The genetic effects were assayed by interval mapping and two-way analyses of variance using the F₂ data of 128 polymorphic loci representing all the 12 rice chromosomes. The analyses resolved a number of single-locus QTLs and two-locus interactions under both long-day and short day conditions. The interactions involved a large number of loci, most of which were not detectable on a single-locus basis. The results showed that the genetic bases of both stability of sterility and reversibility of fertility are the joint effects of the additive effects of the QTLs and additive-by-additive components of two-locus interactions. The implications of these findings in hybrid rice development are also discussed. Received: 11 January 1999 / Accepted: 19 January 1999     

Pollen ontogenesis in Oenothera: a comparison of genotypically normal anthers with the male-sterile mutant sterilis

Summary A 12-stage normal table of anther development in Oenothera, is presented. The stages are characterized by developmental steps in the reproductive cells and the tapetum, including waves of amylogenesis and lipogenesis as well as the production of the sporoderm layers. This is compared to a corresponding table for the male-sterile (mst) mutant sterilis (ster). Differences between the development of fertile and mst anthers appear after the liberation of the microspores from the tetrads. Male sterility results from a malfunction of the tapetum in the production of ektexine sporopollenin precursors, which aggregate in the tapetal cells. The consequence is the absence of ektexine from the microspores. The endexine is then dissolved, presumably by an enzyme. This process leads to naked microspores whose unprotected cytoplasms are attacked by hydrolytic enzymes present in the thecal fluid. At anthesis the anthers contain only undefined remnants of microspores and tapetum.     

无花粉型水稻温敏核不育系籼S的育性表现与细胞学观察

温敏核不育水稻籼S是从优质常规稻籼黄占自然突变而来的一个无花粉型光温敏核不育种质资源。在广州(23°08′N)自然条件下,一年中具有明显的“可育-不育-可育”的育性转换,5月初至10月底为稳定不育期。在人控光温条件下,低温诱导其由不育转为可育需要较长的持续时间,日均温21℃需7d以上,23.5℃需15d以上。细胞学观察表明其无花粉败育主要是由减数分裂时期的异常引起的,表现为小孢子母细胞粘连与液泡化、减数分裂受阻于前期Ⅰ的细线期、进行无丝分裂与异常的胞质分裂,始终没有正常四分体的形成,而是产生大小不同、核数不等的异常细胞,并最终解体消失。其花粉败育特点不同于以往研究过的光温敏核不育水稻,具有花粉败育时期早而败育彻底的特点。     

Genetic control of male fertility in Arabidopsis thaliana: structural analyses of postmeiotic developmental mutants

Seven new male-sterile mutants (ms7–ms13) of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (ecotype columbia) are described that show a postmeiotic defect of microspore development. In ms9 mutants, microspores recently released from the tetrad appear irregular in shape and are often without exines. The earliest evidence of abnormality in ms12 mutants is degeneration of microspores that lack normal exine sculpturing, suggesting that the MS12 product is important in the formation of pollen exine. Teratomes (abnormally enlarged microsporocytes) are also occasionally present and each has a poorly developed exine. In ms7 mutant plants, the tapetal cytoplasm disintegrates at the late vacuolate microspore stage, apparently causing the degeneration of microspores and pollen grains. With ms8 mutants, the exine of the microspores appears similar to that of the wild type. However, intine development appears impaired and pollen grains rupture prior to maturity. In ms11 mutants, the first detectable abnormality appears at the mid to late vacuolate stage. The absence of fluorescence in the microspores and tapetal cells after staining with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and the occasional presence of teratomes indicate degradation of DNA. Viable pollen from ms10 mutant plants is dehisced from anthers but appears to have surface abnormalities affecting interaction with the stigma. Pollen only germinates in high-humidity conditions or during in-vitro germination experiments. Mutant plants also have bright-green stems, suggesting that ms10 belongs to the eceriferum (cer) class of mutants. However, ms10 and cer6 are non-allelic. The ms13 mutant has a similar phenotype to ms10, suggesting is also an eceriferum mutation. Each of these seven mutants had a greater number of flowers than congenic male-fertile plants. The non-allelic nature of these mutants and their different developmental end-points indicate that seven different genes important for the later stages of pollen development have been identified. Received: 14 August 1997 / Accepted: 7 October 1997     

Comparative analysis of young panicle proteome in thermo-sensitive genic male-sterile rice Zhu-1S under sterile and fertile conditions

Proteome analysis was carried out to identify the young panicle proteins during different developmental stages under sterile and fertile conditions. Based on spot quantity and quality, 50 protein spots were analyzed by matrix associated laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and 20 spots were identified. Most of these proteins are closely associated with energy metabolism, protein biosynthesis, cell wall formation and stress responses, which are essential cell activities to the pollen development. Gene expression analysis of three different proteins by semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that the mRNA level was not correlated exactly with the protein level.     

Effects of water stress on male gametophyte development in plants

 Male reproductive development in plants is highly sensitive to water deficit during meiosis in the microspore mother cells. Water deficit during this stage inhibits further development of microspores or pollen grains, causing male sterility. Female fertility, in contrast, is quite immune to stress. The injury is apparently not caused by desiccation of the reproductive tissue, but is an indirect consequence of water deficit in the vegetative organs, such as leaves. The mechanism underlying this stress response probably involves a long-distance signaling molecule, originating in the organs that undergo water loss, and affecting fertility in the reproductive tissue, which conserves its water status. Much research has been focused on the involvement of abscisic acid in this regard, but the most recent evidence tends to reject a role for this hormone in the induction of male sterility. Stress-induced arrest of male gametophyte development is preceded by disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism and distribution within anthers, and an inhibition of the key sugar-cleaving enzyme, acid invertase. Since invertase gene expression can be modulated by sugar concentration, it is possible that decreased sugar delivery to reproductive tissue upon inhibition of photosynthesis by stress is the signal that triggers metabolic lesions leading to failure of male gametophyte development. Received: 31 October 1996 / Revision accepted: 18 February 1997     

Cellular organisation and differentiation of organelles in pre-meiotic rice anthers

Pre-meiotic cellular organisation of rice anthers has a great significance in pollen formation. We have used a combination of confocal laser and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to characterise and differentiate organelles in pre-meiotic rice anthers. Along with the characteristic organelles in the cytoplasm the epidermal cells of the pre-meiotic rice anther are coated on their outer surface by a conspicuous bi-lamellate cuticle. Chloroplasts of the endothecium contain immature grana, thylakoids and also starch granules. These plastids clearly contain photosynthetic pigments as shown by autofluorescence in confocal microscope studies. Both confocal and TEM studies reveal clusters of mitochondria in the middle layer. The tapetum contains electron opaque ribosomes, bundles of mitochondria and plastids. The nuclei of the tapetum occupy a large volume of the cytoplasm indicating the onset of mitotic prophase. Intense Rhodamine 123 staining reveals that a major portion of the structurally indistinguishable organelles that were seen throughout the densely ribosomic cytoplasm of sporogenous cells are mitochondria.     

Genetics and cytology of a new genic male-sterile soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]

 Genetic and cytological studies were conducted with a new male-sterile, female-fertile soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] mutant. This mutant was completely male sterile and was inherited as a single-recessive gene. No differences in female or male gamete transmission of the recessive allele were observed between reciprocal cross-pollinations in the F₁ or F₂ generations. This mutant was not allelic to any previously identified soybean genic male-sterile mutants: ms1, ms2, ms3, ms4, ms5, or ms6. No linkage was detected between sterility and flower color (W1 locus), or between sterility and pubescence color (T1 locus). Light microscopic and cytological observations of microsporogenesis in fertile and sterile anthers were conducted. The structure of microspore mother cells (MMC) in male-sterile plants was identical to the MMCs in male-fertile plants. Enzyme extraction analyses showed that there was no callase activity in male-sterile anthers, and this suggests that sterility was caused by retention of the callose walls, which normally are degraded around tetrads at the late tetrad stage. The tapetum from male-sterile anthers also showed abnormalities at the tetrad stage and later stages, which were expressed by an unusual formation of vacuoles, and by accumulation of densely staining material. At maturity, anthers from sterile plants were devoid of pollen grains. Received: 13 May 1996 / Revision accepted: 19 August 1996     

两个籼型水稻核不育系育性温光反应的研究

在杭州男单通过分期播种,比较了两个籼稻光温敏核不育系的育性及其转换特性。结果表明,光照长度对浙大247S和培矮64S两不育系育性表达的影响小,温度起主导作用,均属温敏型不育系,且日最低温度对不育系育性效应显著高于日平均温度和日最高温度。不育系浙大247S和培矮64S的温度敏感期分析是抽穗前3-18和6-21d,育性转换的临界日期为9月19日和9月25日,转换临界温度为25.28和25.66℃,与培矮64S相比,浙大247S不育期败育较彻底,可育期较长且自交结实率高,在杭州田间可以繁种。     

水稻雄性不育突变体D63的育性基因遗传分析与精细定位

利用化学诱变剂甲基磺酸乙酯(EMS)处理籼稻品种冈46B获得雄性不育突变体D63,并对该突变体进行表型鉴定、遗传分析和基因定位。结果显示D63突变体花药瘦小呈乳白色,花药内完全无花粉粒,属于无花粉型雄性不育。与野生型亲本冈46B相比,D63突变体成熟期株高降低了13.7%,穗伸出度减少了266.7%,自交结实率为0,其他农艺性状无显著差异。遗传分析表明该不育性状受1对隐性核基因控制,该突变基因定位于第2号染色体长臂靠近着丝粒区域In Del标记J2和J4之间,与J2和J4的遗传距离分别为0.2 c M和0.1 c M,该定位区间的物理距离为105.8 kb。候选基因分析结果表明,D63突变体在编码分泌性成束糖蛋白基因LOC_Os02g28970编码区第1580位碱基A突变为C,使编码蛋白的氨基酸序列第527位组氨酸(His)突变为脯氨酸(Pro)。D63突变体与已报道的mtr1突变体表型上不同之处主要是后者花药含有败育花粉粒,二者表型上的差异可能是由于LOC_Os02g28970基因序列突变位点不同,以及它们分别属于籼、粳亚种2个不同遗传背景所致。     

Characterization of anther differentiation in cytoplasmic male sterile maize using a specific isozyme system (esterase)

Summary During anther development, characterized in maize plants with N cytoplasm, certain esterase isozymes in non-microspore cells decrease in amount with anther age and new isozymes appear in the developing microspores. In anthers from male sterile plants with cms T or cms C cytoplasm, neither of these changes in esterase patterns occurred. In anthers from plants with cms S cytoplasm, the decrease in the esterases of non-microsporogenous cells was observed but not the appearance of microspore esterases. In lines carrying cms S cytoplasm and nuclear restorer genes, esterase changes during anther development were as in normal fertile anthers. These results are discussed with respect to the phenomenon of cytoplasmic male sterility in the different maize genotypes.     

A low molecular weight proteome comparison of fertile and male sterile 8 anthers of Zea mays

During maize anther development, somatic locular cells differentiate to support meiosis in the pollen mother cells. Meiosis is an important event during anther growth and is essential for plant fertility as pollen contains the haploid sperm. A subset of maize male sterile mutants exhibit meiotic failure, including ms8 (male sterile 8) in which meiocytes arrest as dyads and the locular somatic cells exhibit multiple defects. Systematic proteomic profiles were analysed in biological triplicates plus technical triplicates comparing ms8 anthers with fertile sibling samples at both the premeiotic and meiotic stages; proteins from 3.5 to 20 kDa were fractionated by 1‐D PAGE, cleaved with Lys‐C and then sequenced using a LTQ Orbitrap Velos MS paradigm. Three hundred and 59proteins were identified with two or more assigned peptides in which each of those peptides were counted at least two or more times (0.4% peptide false discovery rate (FDR) and 0.2% protein FDR); 2761 proteins were identified with one or more assigned peptides (0.4% peptide FDR and 7.6% protein FDR). Stage‐specific protein expression provides candidate stage markers for early anther development, and proteins specifically expressed in fertile compared to sterile anthers provide important clues about the regulation of meiosis. 49% of the proteins detected by this study are new to an independent whole anther proteome, and many small proteins missed by automated maize genome annotation were validated; these outcomes indicate the value of focusing on low molecular weight proteins. The roles of distinctive expressed proteins and methods for mass spectrometry of low molecular weight proteins are discussed.     

OsLTP47 may function in a lipid transfer relay essential for pollen wall development in rice

In plants, lipid transfer proteins(LTPs) transport pollen wall constituents from the tapetum to the exine, a process essential for pollen wall development. However, the functional cooperation of different LTPs in pollen wall development is not well understood. In this study, we have identified and characterized a grassspecific LTP gene, Os LTP47, an important regulator of pollen wall formation in rice(Oryza sativa). Os LTP47 encodes a membrane-localized LTP and in vitro lipid-binding assays conf...     

Localization and organization of tRNA genes on the mitochondrial genomes of fertile and male sterile lines of maize

Summary Maize mitochondrial (mt) tRNA genes were localized on the mt master circles of two fertile lines (WF9-N and B37-N) and of one cytoplasmic male sterile line (B37-cmsT) of maize. The three genomes contain 16 tRNA genes with 14 different anticodons which correspond to 13 amino acids. Out of these 16 tRNA genes, 6 show a high degree of homology with the corresponding chloroplast (cp) tRNA genes and were shown to originate from cp DNA insertions and to be expressed in the mitochondria. The organization of the mt tRNA genes in both fertile lines is similar. The same genes are found, in the same environment, as judged from the restriction maps, in fertile and male sterile lines that have the same nuclear background, but the relative organization of the mt tRNA genes on the master circle is completely different.