Abstract
Main conclusionUsing a live-cell-imaging approach and autofluorescence-spectral imaging, we showed quantitative/qualitative fluctuations of chemical compounds within the meiocyte callose wall, providing insight into the molecular basis of male sterility in plants from the genusAllium.Allium sativum (garlic) is one of the plant species exhibiting male sterility, and the molecular background of this phenomenon has never been thoroughly described. This study presents comparative analyses of meiotically dividing cells, which revealed inhibition at the different microsporogenesis stages in male-sterile A. sativum plants (cultivars Harnas and Arkus) and sterile A. ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum (GHG-L), which is phylogenetically related to garlic. Fertile species A. ampeloprasum (leek) was used as the control material, because leek is closely related to both garlic and GHG-L. To shed more light on the molecular basis of these disturbances, autofluorescence-spectral imaging of live cells was used for the assessment of the biophysical/biochemical differences in the callose wall, pollen grain sporoderm, and the tapetum in the sterile species, in comparison with the fertile leek. The use of techniques for live-cell imaging (autofluorescence-spectral imaging) allowed the observation of quantitative/qualitative fluctuations of autofluorescent chemical compounds within the meiocyte callose wall. The biophysical characterisation of the metabolic disturbances in the callose wall provides insight into the molecular basis of male sterility in A. sativum. In addition, using this method, it was possible for the first time, to determine precisely (on the basis of fluctuations of autofluorescence compounds) the meiosis stage in which normal microsporogenesis is disturbed, which was not visible using light microscopy.
Highlights
Through unlimited genetic fluctuations, sexual reproduction contributes to dynamic development and spread of organisms, and their adaptation to environmental changes
Main conclusion Using a live-cell-imaging approach and autofluorescence-spectral imaging, we showed quantitative/qualitative fluctuations of chemical compounds within the meiocyte callose wall, providing insight into the molecular basis of male sterility in plants from the genus Allium
The investigations presented in this paper show a remarkable diversity of male sterility within the genus Allium (A. sativum—A. ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum), and between cultivars of one species
Summary
Sexual reproduction contributes to dynamic development and spread of organisms, and their adaptation to environmental changes. The most comprehensive classification proposed by Kaul (1988, 2012) distinguishes between genetic (phenotypic and genotypic) and non-genetic (chemical, physiological, and ecological) causes of male sterility This classification describes the great number of factors that contribute to developmental disturbances and that take place during the formation of male gametophytes capable of fertilisation. Male gametophytes (pollen grains) are formed in the anther in a multi-step process called microsporogenesis, and are developed from pollen mother cells (PMC) These cells are present among sporophytic cells (tapetum) that are involved in, e.g., nutrient and enzyme supply, indispensable at all the stages of cell differentiation (Taylor et al 1997; Wang et al 2003; Lerstern 2004). Disturbances in the development and function of the tapetum have been described as a frequent cause of male sterility in plants, e.g., in Zea mays (Chaubal et al 2000), Allium schoenoprasum (Engelke et al 2002), Beta vulgaris (Chauhan 2005), B. campestris (Xie et al 2005), and Arabidopsis (Ma 2005)
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