A small Rho GTPase OsRacB is required for pollen germination in rice.

Plant Rho small GTPases (Rop/Rac) are versatile molecular switches regulating many plant developmental processes. Particularly, their important functions in regulating pollen development have been demonstrated in Arabidopsis. A group of conserved Rop/Rac activators RopGEFs were recently reported to regulate rice (Oryza sativa) pollen tube germination, indicating that rice and Arabidopsis may have a conserved Rop/Rac mediated signaling pathway in regulating pollen tube growth. However, the Rop/Rac activated by the rice pollen specific RopGEFs remains to be identified. Here we demonstrated a Rop/Rac gene, OsRacB, co-expressed with the mature pollen expressed OsRopGEF2/3/6/8. The knockout mutants were normal in anther and pollen development but defective in the pollen grain germination, suggesting a specific and non-redundant role of OsRacB in the mature pollen. We further demonstrated that OsRacB is directly activated by the pollen specific expressing OsRopGEFs in vitro. Together with the previous study, we establish a RopGEF-Rop/Rac regulon which plays essential roles in rice pollen grain germination. Our data encourage further identification of the upstream and downstream players of RopGEF-Rop/Rac signaling in pollen germination and have agricultural implications for breeding robust seed yielding cultivars.

Bright Fluorescent Vacuolar Marker Lines Allow Vacuolar Tracing Across Multiple Tissues and Stress Conditions in Rice.

The vacuole is indispensable for cells to maintain their water potential and to respond to environmental changes. Nevertheless, investigations of vacuole morphology and its functions have been limited to Arabidopsis thaliana with few studies in the model crop rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we report the establishment of bright rice vacuole fluorescent reporter systems using OsTIP1;1, a tonoplast water channel protein, fused to either an enhanced green fluorescent protein or an mCherry red fluorescent protein. We used the corresponding transgenic rice lines to trace the vacuole morphology in roots, leaves, anthers, and pollen grains. Notably, we observed dynamic changes in vacuole morphologies in pollen and root epidermis that corresponded to their developmental states as well as vacuole shape alterations in response to abiotic stresses. Our results indicate that the application of our vacuole markers may aid in understanding rice vacuole function and structure across different tissues and environmental conditions in rice.

Defective Pollen Wall 3 (DPW3), a novel alpha integrin-like protein, is required for pollen wall formation in rice.

In flowering plants, pollen wall is a specialized extracellular cell-wall matrix surrounding male gametophytes and acts as a natural protector of pollen grains against various environmental and biological stresses. The formation of pollen wall is a complex but well-regulated process, which involves the action of many different genes. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain largely unknown. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel rice male sterile mutant, defective pollen wall3 (dpw3), which displays smaller and paler anthers with aborted pollen grains. DPW3 encodes a novel membrane-associated alpha integrin-like protein conserved in land plants. DPW3 is ubiquitously expressed in anther developmental stages and its protein is localized to the plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. Anthers of dpw3 plants exhibited unbalanced anther cuticular profile, abnormal Ubisch bodies, disrupted callose deposition, defective pollen wall formation such as abnormal microspore plasma membrane undulation and defective primexine formation, resulting in pollen abortion and complete male sterility. Our findings revealed a novel and vital role of alpha integrin-like proteins in plant male reproduction.

PERSISTENT TAPETAL CELL2 Is Required for Normal Tapetal Programmed Cell Death and Pollen Wall Patterning.

The timely programmed cell death (PCD) of the tapetum, the innermost somatic anther cell layer in flowering plants, is critical for pollen development, including the deposition and patterning of the pollen wall. Although several genes involved in tapetal PCD and pollen wall development have been characterized, the underlying regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here we report that PERSISTENT TAPETAL CELL2 (PTC2), which encodes an AT-hook nuclear localized protein in rice (Oryza sativa), is required for normal tapetal PCD and pollen wall development. The mutant ptc2 showed persistent tapetal cells and abnormal pollen wall patterning including absent nexine, collapsed bacula, and disordered tectum. The defective tapetal PCD phenotype of ptc2 was similar to that of a PCD delayed mutant, ptc1, in rice, while the abnormal pollen wall patterning resembled that of a pollen wall defective mutant, Transposable Element Silencing Via AT-Hook, in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Levels of anther cutin monomers in ptc2 anthers were significantly reduced, as was expression of a series of lipid biosynthetic genes. PTC2 transcript and protein were shown to be present in the anther after meiosis, consistent with the observed phenotype. Based on these data, we propose a model explaining how PTC2 affects anther and pollen development. The characterization of PTC2 in tapetal PCD and pollen wall patterning expands our understanding of the regulatory network of male reproductive development in rice and will aid future breeding approaches.

A Rice Ca2+ Binding Protein Is Required for Tapetum Function and Pollen Formation.

In flowering plants, successful male reproduction requires the sophisticated interaction between somatic anther wall layers and reproductive cells. Timely degradation of the innermost tissue of the anther wall layer, the tapetal layer, is critical for pollen development. Ca2+ is a well-known stimulus for plant development, but whether it plays a role in affecting male reproduction remains elusive. Here we report a role of Defective in Exine Formation 1 (OsDEX1) in rice (Oryza sativa), a Ca2+ binding protein, in regulating rice tapetal cell degradation and pollen formation. In osdex1 anthers, tapetal cell degeneration is delayed and degradation of the callose wall surrounding the microspores is compromised, leading to aborted pollen formation and complete male sterility. OsDEX1 is expressed in tapetal cells and microspores during early anther development. Recombinant OsDEX1 is able to bind Ca2+ and regulate Ca2+ homeostasis in vitro, and osdex1 exhibited disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis in tapetal cells. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that OsDEX1 may have a conserved function in binding Ca2+ in flowering plants, and genetic complementation of pollen wall defects of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) dex1 mutant confirmed its evolutionary conservation in pollen development. Collectively, these findings suggest that OsDEX1 plays a fundamental role in the development of tapetal cells and pollen formation, possibly via modulating the Ca2+ homeostasis during pollen development.

Two ATP Binding Cassette G Transporters, Rice ATP Binding Cassette G26 and ATP Binding Cassette G15, Collaboratively Regulate Rice Male Reproduction.

Male reproduction in higher plants requires the support of various metabolites, including lipid molecules produced in the innermost anther wall layer (the tapetum), but how the molecules are allocated among different anther tissues remains largely unknown. Previously, rice (Oryza sativa) ATP binding cassette G15 (ABCG15) and its Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ortholog were shown to be required for pollen exine formation. Here, we report the significant role of OsABCG26 in regulating the development of anther cuticle and pollen exine together with OsABCG15 in rice. Cytological and chemical analyses indicate that osabcg26 shows reduced transport of lipidic molecules from tapetal cells for anther cuticle development. Supportively, the localization of OsABCG26 is on the plasma membrane of the anther wall layers. By contrast, OsABCG15 is polarly localized in tapetal plasma membrane facing anther locules. osabcg26 osabcg15 double mutant displays an almost complete absence of anther cuticle and pollen exine, similar to that of osabcg15 single mutant. Taken together, we propose that OsABCG26 and OsABCG15 collaboratively regulate rice male reproduction: OsABCG26 is mainly responsible for the transport of lipidic molecules from tapetal cells to anther wall layers, whereas OsABCG15 mainly is responsible for the export of lipidic molecules from the tapetal cells to anther locules for pollen exine development.

Brassinosteroids promote development of rice pollen grains and seeds by triggering expression of Carbon Starved Anther, a MYB domain protein.

Transport of photoassimilates from leaf tissues (source regions) to the sink organs is essential for plant development. Here, we show that a phytohormone, the brassinosteroids (BRs) promotes pollen and seed development in rice by directly promoting expression of Carbon Starved Anther (CSA) which encodes a MYB domain protein. Over-expression of the BR-synthesis gene D11 or a BR-signaling factor OsBZR1 results in higher sugar accumulation in developing anthers and seeds, as well as higher grain yield compared with control non-transgenic plants. Conversely, knockdown of D11 or OsBZR1 expression causes defective pollen maturation and reduced seed size and weight, with less accumulation of starch in comparison with the control. Mechanically, OsBZR1 directly promotes CSA expression and CSA directly triggers expression of sugar partitioning and metabolic genes during pollen and seed development. These findings provide insight into how BRs enhance plant reproduction and grain yield in an important agricultural crop.