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ZmMS1/ZmLBD30-orchestrated transcriptional regulatory networks precisely control pollen exine development
Quancan Hou1, Xueli An1, Biao Ma2
1Research Institute of Biology and Agriculture, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; Beijing Engineering Laboratory of Main Crop Bio-Tech Breeding, Zhongzhi International Institute of Agricultural Biosciences, Beijing 100192, China.
Molecular Plant
|July 28, 2023
Summary
A newly identified repressor, ZmMS1/ZmLBD30, controls maize pollen exine development. This master repressor prevents excessive pollen wall formation by regulating a feedback loop, ensuring male fertility and impacting crop yield.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Genetics
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Pollen exine development is crucial for plant male fertility and crop yield.
- The precise molecular mechanisms governing exine formation and thickness have remained largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the molecular regulators controlling pollen exine development in maize.
- To elucidate the mechanism by which exine thickness is precisely controlled.
Main Methods:
- Gene cloning and characterization of a male-sterility mutant (ms1) in maize.
- Analysis of ZmMS1/ZmLBD30 expression and function.
- Investigating the transcriptional cascade involving ZmbHLH51, ZmMYB84, and ZmMS7.
Main Results:
- Identified ZmMS1/ZmLBD30 as a novel repressor controlling maize pollen exine development.
- ZmMS1/ZmLBD30 acts as a tapetum-specific transcription factor, regulating exine thickness through feedback repression.
- Discovered a conserved activation-feedback repression loop in maize and sorghum, crucial for male fertility.
Conclusions:
- ZmMS1/ZmLBD30 acts as a master repressor, preventing excessive exine formation by shutting down an upstream activation cascade.
- This regulatory loop ensures proper tapetal degeneration and optimal pollen exine development.
- The findings reveal a novel mechanism for controlling pollen exine development, with potential implications for other flowering plants.
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