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Biphasic regulation of the transcription factor ABORTED MICROSPORES (AMS) is essential for tapetum and pollen development in Arabidopsis

Ferguson, Alison; Pearce, Simon; Band, Leah R.; Yang, Caiyun; Ferjentsikova, Ivana; King, John; Yuan, Zheng; Zhang, Dabing; Wilson, Zoe A.

Authors

Simon Pearce

LEAH BAND leah.band@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Mathematical Biology

Caiyun Yang

Ivana Ferjentsikova

JOHN KING JOHN.KING@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Theoretical Mechanics

Zheng Yuan

Dabing Zhang

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ZOE WILSON ZOE.WILSON@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Pro Vice Chancellor Faculty of Science



Abstract

Viable pollen is essential for plant reproduction and crop yield. Its production requires coordinated expression at specific stages during anther development, involving early meiosis-associated events and late pollen wall formation. The ABORTED MICROSPORE (AMS) transcription factor is a master regulator of sporopollenin biosynthesis, secretion and pollen wall formation in Arabidopsis. Here we show it has complex regulation and additional essential roles earlier in pollen formation.
• An inducible-AMS reporter was created for functional rescue, protein expression pattern analysis and to distinguish between direct and indirect targets. Mathematical modelling was used to create regulatory networks based on wildtype RNA and protein expression.
• Dual activity of AMS was defined by biphasic protein expression in anther tapetal cells, with an initial peak around pollen meiosis and then later during pollen wall development. Direct AMS-regulated targets exhibit temporal regulation, indicating additional factors are associated with their regulation.
• We demonstrate that AMS biphasic expression is essential for pollen development and defines distinct functional activities during early and late pollen development. Mathematical modelling suggests AMS may competitively form a protein complex with other tapetum-expressed transcription factors, and that biphasic regulation is due to repression of upstream regulators and promotion of AMS protein degradation.

Citation

Ferguson, A., Pearce, S., Band, L. R., Yang, C., Ferjentsikova, I., King, J., …Wilson, Z. A. (in press). Biphasic regulation of the transcription factor ABORTED MICROSPORES (AMS) is essential for tapetum and pollen development in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist, 213, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14200

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 3, 2016
Online Publication Date Oct 27, 2016
Deposit Date Oct 31, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal New Phytologist
Print ISSN 0028-646X
Electronic ISSN 1469-8137
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 213
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14200
Keywords Aborted microspore (AMS), anther development, Arabidopsis thaliana, pollen development, regulatory network modelling, tapetum
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/821249
Publisher URL http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.14200/abstract

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