Effects of High Nitrogen Supply on the Susceptibility to Coolness at the Young Microspore Stage in Rice (Oryza sativa L.): Gene Expression Analysis in Mature Anthers

• Main Authors: Takami Hayashi, Tomoya Yamaguchi, Katsuhiro Nakayama, Setsuo Koike
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2009-01-01
• Series: Plant Production Science
• Subjects: Anther; Cool temperature susceptibility; Expansin; Gene expression; High nitrogen; PCR; Pollen germination
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1626/pps.12.271
• ISSN: 1343-943X; 1349-1008

Changes in gene expression patterns by high nitrogen (High-N) and High-N plus cooling at the young microspore stage (High-N-cooling) in rice mature anthers were analyzed by semiquantitative RT-PCR with gene specific primers. Gene expression of alpha-expansin 18 (EXPA18) was repressed under High-N-cooling. Beta-expansin 1 (EXPB1), putative aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and Fructokinase II (FKII) were upregulated under High-N. EXPB1 and FKII were highly expressed under High-N-cooling. Comprehensive examination of gene expression patterns of 26 alpha-expansins (EXPAs) and 16 beta-expansins (EXPB s) showed that all expansins (EXP s)except EXPA12 were expressed in the anthers. Gene expression of EXP s did not change under High-N except EXPA1, EXPB1 and EXPB5 which were upregulated. In total, 18 EXPAs and 6 EXPB s were repressed under High-N-cooling, and among these, EXPA18, EXPA19 and EXPA20 had high similarities in the amino acid sequences, suggesting that these three genes may constitute a distinct functional gene subfamily related to the decrease in the pollen germination ability.