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Disruption of Arabidopsis thaliana MYB26 results in male sterility due to non‐dehiscent anthers
Author(s) -
SteinerLange Sabine,
Unte Ulrike S.,
Eckstein Luca,
Yang Caiyun,
Wilson Zoe A.,
Schmelzer Elmon,
Dekker Koen,
Saedler Heinz
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-313x.2003.01745.x
Subject(s) - sterility , biology , stamen , arabidopsis thaliana , mutant , pollen , inflorescence , arabidopsis , genetics , phenotype , population , botany , gene , demography , sociology
Summary A male sterile mutant with a defect in anther dehiscence was identified in an Arabidopsis thaliana population mutagenized with the Zea mays transposon En‐1/Spm. Mutants produce viable pollen that can fertilize when released mechanically from the anthers. Mutant stamens are of normal size and shape, but lack cell wall fortifications in the endothecial cell layer of the anther, which are required for the dehiscence process. The mutant phenotype was shown to be caused by a transposon insertion in AtMYB26 , disrupting the putative DNA‐binding domain of this R2R3‐type MYB transcription factor. RT‐PCR revealed that expression of AtMYB26 is restricted to inflorescences. Sterility was shown to be stable under several environmental conditions. The high stability of the sterile phenotype, together with the fact that pollen is functional, makes AtMYB26 and its orthologs a valuable tool for manipulating male fertility in higher plants.