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OsAPT1 a Pollen Preferentially Expressed Gene Is Essential for Pollen Tube Germination and Elongation in Rice

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Abstract

Pollen tube germination and elongation are important processes for double fertilization in flowering plants. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism of pollen germination and tube growth in rice. Here, we reported that OsAPT1, a pollen-high expression gene and encoding a putative APT1 protein in Oryza sativa, regulating pollen tube germination and elongation in rice. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and in situ hybridization analysis showed high expression level of OsAPT1 at late stage of microsporogenesis including late uninucleate stage, binucleate pollen stage, and mature pollen grains. OsAPT1 RNA interference (OsAPT1-RNAi) lines showed that the pollen tube germination and elongation rate were decreased. Compared with wild type (WT), the integrity and assembly of actin microfilaments were abnormal in hydrated pollen grains of OsAPT1-RNAi plants, and the fluorescence signals of actin microfilaments were altered in the pollen tube of OsAPT1-RNAi plants. GO analysis of the co-expressing genes of OsAPT1 showed that the GO terms such as pollination, cell growth, cellular cytoskeleton organization, and motor activity were enriched. In addition, the qRT-PCR results showed variations in the expression of some genes related to pollen tube growth. Overall, our results indicated that OsAPT1 is required for pollen tube germination and elongation in rice.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Chungen Hu (Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China) for helpful discussions.

Author Contribution Statement

JY conceived and designed this research as well as wrote the manuscript. SL and JZ conducted the experiments and wrote the manuscript. SL, JZ, SL, YL, and YX performed the experiments. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570321), and the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China

    Shasha Liu, Jun Zhong, Sheng Ling, Yaqin Liu, Ya Xu & Jialing Yao

Authors
  1. Shasha Liu
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  2. Jun Zhong
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  3. Sheng Ling
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  4. Yaqin Liu
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  5. Ya Xu
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  6. Jialing Yao
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Correspondence to Jialing Yao.

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Key Message

We have obtained a pollen-specific expression gene OsAPT1 from Oryza sativa, and it is required for pollen tube germination and growth.

OsAPT1 encoded a putative aberrant pollen transmission 1 (APT1) protein.

OsAPT1 was preferentially expressed in stamen.

RNA expression level of OsAPT1 decreased in OsAPT1-RNAi lines.

Pollen germination rate significantly decreased in OsAPT1-RNAi plants.

Microfilament distribution was altered in OsAPT1 transgenic plants.

OsAPT1 might be involved in multiple biological processes.

Electronic supplementary material

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Supplementary table 1 The co-expressing genes of OsAPT1. Supplementary table 2 The primers used in this study

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Liu, S., Zhong, J., Ling, S. et al. OsAPT1 a Pollen Preferentially Expressed Gene Is Essential for Pollen Tube Germination and Elongation in Rice. Plant Mol Biol Rep 39, 87–97 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-020-01211-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-020-01211-4

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