SPL8 Acts Together with the Brassinosteroid-Signaling Component BIM1 in Controlling Arabidopsis thaliana Male Fertility
Open Access
- 24 June 2013
- Vol. 2 (3), 416-428
- https://doi.org/10.3390/plants2030416
Abstract
The non-miR156 targeted SBP-box gene SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 8 (SPL8), plays an important role in Arabidopsis anther development, where its loss-of-function results in a semi-sterile phenotype. Fully male-sterile plants are obtained when a spl8 loss-of-function mutation is introduced into a 35S:MIR156 genetic background, thereby revealing functional redundancy between SPL8 and miR156-targeted SBP-box genes. Here, we show that BIM1, a gene encoding a bHLH protein involved in brassinosteroid signaling and embryonic patterning, functions redundantly with SPL8 in its requirement for male fertility. Although bim1 single mutants displayed a mild fertility problem due to shortened filaments in some flowers, mutation of BIM1 significantly enhanced the semi-sterile phenotype of the spl8 mutant. Expression of both SPL8 and BIM1 was detected in overlapping expression domains during early anther developmental stages. Our data suggest that in regulating anther development, SPL8 and BIM1 function cooperatively in a common complex or in synergistic pathways. Phylogenetic analysis supports the idea of an evolutionary conserved function for both genes in angiosperm anther development.This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Brassinosteroid action in flowering plants: a Darwinian perspectiveJournal of Experimental Botany, 2012
- New players unveiled in early anther developmentPlant Signaling & Behavior, 2011
- miR156-Targeted and Nontargeted SBP-Box Transcription Factors Act in Concert to Secure Male Fertility in ArabidopsisPlant Cell, 2010
- Floral organ identity: 20 years of ABCsSeminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 2010
- ROXY1 and ROXY2, two Arabidopsis glutaredoxin genes, are required for anther developmentThe Plant Journal, 2007
- MOLECULAR GENETIC ANALYSES OF MICROSPOROGENESIS AND MICROGAMETOGENESIS IN FLOWERING PLANTSAnnual Review of Plant Biology, 2005
- Stamen Structure and FunctionPlant Cell, 2004
- SPL8, an SBP-Box Gene That Affects Pollen Sac Development in ArabidopsisPlant Cell, 2003
- Anther developmental defects in Arabidopsis thaliana male-sterile mutantsSexual Plant Reproduction, 1999
- The war of the whorls: genetic interactions controlling flower developmentNature, 1991