Rice gene uses a hormone signal to unlock pollen release
Chen Y, Liu M, Xiang Z, Wang S, Jin L
Crispr
Anyone who's grown tomatoes, peppers, or beans knows a flower that won't release pollen never sets fruit, and this gene shows one hidden reason flowers sometimes fail at that exact step.
Rice flowers have to crack open their anthers at just the right time to release pollen, and this study found the gene that makes that happen. The gene, called OsNCED5, helps build a hormone called abscisic acid inside the anther, which triggers the wall of the anther to stiffen with lignin so it can split open. When researchers used gene editing to knock out OsNCED5, the anthers stayed shut and the plants made far less seed.
Key Findings
OsNCED5 is a chloroplast-based enzyme highly expressed in rice anthers during late development, where it makes the hormone abscisic acid (ABA).
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of OsNCED5 lowered ABA levels in anthers, preventing lignin buildup and secondary cell wall thickening needed for anther splitting.
Loss of OsNCED5 caused indehiscent anthers and significantly reduced fertility, and the mechanism appears conserved across both japonica and indica rice subspecies.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found a gene in rice, OsNCED5, that controls a hormone signal needed for anthers to split open and release pollen. Without it, plants make less pollen-releasing hormone, anthers stay shut, and fertility drops sharply.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
OsNCED5 Controls Abscisic Acid-Mediated Anther Dehiscence and Male Fertility in Rice.
Proper anther dehiscence is essential for successful pollination and male fertility in flowering plants. However, many gaps remain in the regulatory mechanisms underlying anther dehiscence in plant...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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