Project description:Illumina sequencing was employed to examine the expression profiles of rice anther miRNAs from the a non-pollen male sterile line Wuxiang S (WXS), one of photo-thermo sensitive genical male sterile (PTGMS) line rice, during in the fertility transition stage. A total of 493 known miRNAs and 273 novel miRNAs were identified during rice anther development. Based on the number of sequencing reads, a total of 26 miRNAs were discovered to be significant difference expression between WXS(S, Sterility) and WXS(F, Fertility), and the results were partially validated by qRT-PCR. Among these, 11 miRNAs were decreased and 15 miRNAs were increased in WXS(S) compared with WXS(F). The expression patterns for targets of osa-miR156a-j, osa-miR3879, osa-miR159c/d/e, osa-miR171a/c/e/i, osa-miR398b, osa-miR164d, osa-miR528 and osa-miR408 were selectively examined, and the results showed that there was a negative correlation on the expression patterns between miRNAs and their targets. These targets have previously been reported to be related with pollen development and male sterility, suggesting that miRNAs might act as regulators of rice anthers. Furthermore, miRNA editing events were observed. The U-to-C and U-to-A editing phenomenon was validated by molecular cloning and sequencing. Examine small RNA profiles change of four tissues of the rice non-pollen male sterile line Wuxiang S under two different environments.
Project description:Illumina sequencing was employed to examine the expression profiles of rice anther miRNAs from the a non-pollen male sterile line Wuxiang S (WXS), one of photo-thermo sensitive genical male sterile (PTGMS) line rice, during in the fertility transition stage. A total of 493 known miRNAs and 273 novel miRNAs were identified during rice anther development. Based on the number of sequencing reads, a total of 26 miRNAs were discovered to be significant difference expression between WXS(S, Sterility) and WXS(F, Fertility), and the results were partially validated by qRT-PCR. Among these, 11 miRNAs were decreased and 15 miRNAs were increased in WXS(S) compared with WXS(F). The expression patterns for targets of osa-miR156a-j, osa-miR3879, osa-miR159c/d/e, osa-miR171a/c/e/i, osa-miR398b, osa-miR164d, osa-miR528 and osa-miR408 were selectively examined, and the results showed that there was a negative correlation on the expression patterns between miRNAs and their targets. These targets have previously been reported to be related with pollen development and male sterility, suggesting that miRNAs might act as regulators of rice anthers. Furthermore, miRNA editing events were observed. The U-to-C and U-to-A editing phenomenon was validated by molecular cloning and sequencing.
Project description:Background: Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a major cash crop throughout the world. Male sterility is an important characteristic in crop species that leads to a failure to produce functional pollen, and it has crucial roles in agricultural breeding and the utilization of heterosis. Objectives: In this study, we identified many crucial factors and important components in metabolic pathways in anther and pollen development, and elucidated the molecular mechanism related to pollen abortion in pepper. Methods: Pepper pollen was observed at different stages to detect the characteristics associated with male sterility and fertility. The phytohormone and oxidoreductase activities were detected in spectrophotometric and redox reaction assays, respectively. Proteins were extracted from male sterile and fertile pepper lines, and identified by TMT/iTRAQ (Tandem mass tags/isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) and LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer) analysis. Differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were analyzed based on Gene Ontology annotations and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database according to |fold change)| > 1.3 and P value < 0.05. DAPs were quantified in the meiosis, tetrad, and binucleate stages by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Results: In this study, we screened and identified one male sterile pepper line with abnormal cytological characteristics in terms of pollen development. The peroxidase and catalase enzyme activities were significantly reduced and increased, respectively, in the male sterile line compared with the male fertile line. Phytohormone analysis demonstrated that the gibberellin, jasmonic acid, and auxin contents changed by different extents in the male sterile pepper line. Proteome analysis screened 1645 DAPs in six clusters, which were mainly associated with the chloroplast and cytoplasm based on their similar expression levels. According to proteome analysis, 45 DAPs were quantitatively identified in the meiosis, tetrad, and binucleate stages by PRM, which were related to monoterpenoid biosynthesis, and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways. Conclusions: We screened 1645 DAPs by proteomic analysis and 45 DAPs were related to anther and pollen development in a male sterile pepper line. In addition, the activities of peroxidase and catalase as well as the abundances of phytohormones such as gibberellin, jasmonic acid, and auxin were related to male sterility. The results obtained in this study provide insights into the molecular mechanism responsible for male sterility and fertility in pepper.
Project description:In order to systematically identify the possible regulatory roles of (long nocoding RNAs) lncRNAs and (circular RNAs) cirRNAs in the rice photo-thermosensitive genic male sterile (PTGMS) line that were involved in fertility transition, 18 RNA libraries from rice young panicles of the Wuxiang S sterile line rice (WXS (S)) and its fertile line rice (WXS (F)) at the pollen mother cell (PMC) formation stage (P2), the meiosis stage (P3), and the microspore formation stage (P4) were constructed, with three biological replicates for each condition. These libraries were sequenced using an Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform, and approximately 214.54 Gb clean reads were generated. we performed genome-wide identification and characterization of lncRNAs circRNAs using high-throughput strand-specific RNA sequencing (ssRNA-seq) technology and bioinformatics tools to investigate the expression profiles of circRNAs in the PTGMS rice line WXS and their potential roles in the fertility transition.A total of 3948 lncRNAs and 9994 circRNAs were indentifiled in WXS rice, and our findings clearly revealed that lnRNAs and circRNAs might be endogenous noncoding regulators of flower and pollen development in the PTGMS rice line.
Project description:Environmental conditions, such as photoperiod and temperature, can affect male fertility in plants. While this feature is heavily exploited in rice to generate male-sterile lines for hybrid breeding, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we use a transcriptomics approach to identify key genes and regulatory networks affecting pollen maturation in rice anthers in response to different day lengths.This work provides a new understanding on photoperiodsensitive pollen development in rice, and our gene expression database will provide a new, comprehensive resource to identify new environmentally sensitive genes regulating male fertility for use in crop improvement.
Project description:Formation of functional pollen and successful fertilisation relies upon the spatial and temporal regulation of anther and pollen development. This process responds to environmental cues to maintain optimal fertility despite climatic changes. Arabidopsis transcription factors bHLH10,-89,-91 were previously thought to be functionally redundant in their control of male reproductive development, however here we show that they play distinct roles in the integration of light signals to maintain pollen development under different environmental conditions. Combinations of the double and triple bHLH10,-89,-91 mutants were analysed under normal (200μmol/m2/s) and low (50μmol/m2/s) light conditions to determine the impact on fertility. Transcriptomic analysis of a new conditionally sterile bhlh89,91 double mutant shows differential regulation of genes related to sexual reproduction, hormone signal transduction and lipid storage and metabolism under low-light. Here we have shown that bHLH89 and bHLH91 play a role in regulating fertility in response to light, suggesting they function in mitigating environmental variation to ensure fertility is maintained under environmental stress.
Project description:To identify genes associated with genic male sterility (GMS) that could be useful for hybrid breeding in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis), floral bud transcriptome analysis was carried out using a B. rapa microarray with 300,000 probes (Br300K). Among 47,548 clones deposited on a Br300K microarray with seven probes of 60 nt length within the 3' 150 bp region, a total of 10,622 genes were differentially expressed between fertile and sterile floral buds; 4,774 and 5,848 genes were up-regulated over 2-fold in fertile and sterile buds, respectively. However, the expression of 1,413 and 199 genes showed fertile and sterile bud-specific features, respectively. Genes expressed specifically in fertile buds, possibly GMS-related genes, included homologs of several Arabidopsis male sterility-related genes, genes associated with the cell wall and synthesis of its surface proteins, pollen wall and coat components, signaling components, and nutrient supplies. However, most early genes for pollen development, genes for primexine and callose formation, and genes for pollen maturation and anther dehiscence showed no difference in expression between fertile and sterile buds. Some of the known genes associated with Arabidopsis pollen development showed similar expression patterns to those seen in this study, while others did not. BrbHLH89 and BrMYP99 are putative GMS genes. Additionally, 17 novel genes identified only in B. rapa were specifically and highly expressed only in fertile buds, implying the possible involvement in male fertility. All data suggest that Chinese cabbage GMS might be controlled by genes acting in post-meiotic tapetal development that are different from those known to be associated with Arabidopsis male sterility.
Project description:To identify genes associated with genic male sterility (GMS) that could be useful for hybrid breeding in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis), floral bud transcriptome analysis was carried out using a B. rapa microarray with 300,000 probes (Br300K). Among 47,548 clones deposited on a Br300K microarray with seven probes of 60 nt length within the 3' 150 bp region, a total of 10,622 genes were differentially expressed between fertile and sterile floral buds; 4,774 and 5,848 genes were up-regulated over 2-fold in fertile and sterile buds, respectively. However, the expression of 1,413 and 199 genes showed fertile and sterile bud-specific features, respectively. Genes expressed specifically in fertile buds, possibly GMS-related genes, included homologs of several Arabidopsis male sterility-related genes, genes associated with the cell wall and synthesis of its surface proteins, pollen wall and coat components, signaling components, and nutrient supplies. However, most early genes for pollen development, genes for primexine and callose formation, and genes for pollen maturation and anther dehiscence showed no difference in expression between fertile and sterile buds. Some of the known genes associated with Arabidopsis pollen development showed similar expression patterns to those seen in this study, while others did not. BrbHLH89 and BrMYP99 are putative GMS genes. Additionally, 17 novel genes identified only in B. rapa were specifically and highly expressed only in fertile buds, implying the possible involvement in male fertility. All data suggest that Chinese cabbage GMS might be controlled by genes acting in post-meiotic tapetal development that are different from those known to be associated with Arabidopsis male sterility. A total of 14 chips were used for the microarray experiment. Experiments were performed with two biological replicates.
Project description:Fertile pollen is critical for the survival, fitness and dispersal of flowering plants, and directly contributes to crop productivity. Extensive mutational screening studies have been carried out to dissect the genetic regulatory network determining pollen fertility, but we still lack fundamental knowledge about whether and how pollen fertility is controlled in natural populations. We used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to show that ZmGEN1A and ZmMSH7, two DNA repair-related genes, confer natural variation in maize pollen fertility. Mutants defective in both genes exhibited abnormalities in meiotic or post-meiotic DNA repair, leading to reduced pollen fertility. More importantly, ZmMSH7 underwent selection during maize domestication, and its disruption resulted in a substantial increase in grain yield and protein content for both inbred and hybrid. Overall, our study describes the first systematic examination of natural genetic effects on pollen fertility in plants, providing valuable genetic resources for optimizing male fertility. Moreover, ZmMSH7 may be a potential candidate for simultaneous improvement of grain yield and quality.