Silencing of a Pectin Acetylesterase (PAE) Gene Highly Expressed in Tobacco Pistils Negatively Affects Pollen Tube Growth

Successful plant reproduction and fruit formation depend on adequate pollen and pistil development, and pollen-pistil interactions. In , pollen tubes grow through the intercellular spaces of pistil-specialized tissues, stigmatic secretory zone, and stylar transmitting tissue (STT). These intercellul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plants (Basel) 2023-01, Vol.12 (2), p.329
Main Authors: Lubini, Greice, Ferreira, Pedro Boscariol, Quiapim, Andréa Carla, Brito, Michael Santos, Cossalter, Viviane, Pranchevicius, Maria Cristina S, Goldman, Maria Helena S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetylesterase
Cell adhesion & migration
Cell walls
Cloning
Enzymes
Esterification
Flowers
Flowers & plants
fruit formation
Fruits
Gene expression
Genomes
Hybridization
Kinases
Nicotiana tabacum
Ovaries
Pectin
pectin modification
Phylogeny
pistil development
Pistils
plant fertility
Plant growth
Plant reproduction
Plant reproductive structures
Plants (botany)
Pollen
Pollen tubes
pollen–pistil interaction
Roles
Seeds
Stigmas (botany)
Tobacco
Transgenic plants
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Summary:Successful plant reproduction and fruit formation depend on adequate pollen and pistil development, and pollen-pistil interactions. In , pollen tubes grow through the intercellular spaces of pistil-specialized tissues, stigmatic secretory zone, and stylar transmitting tissue (STT). These intercellular spaces are supposed to be formed by the modulation of cell wall pectin esterification. Previously we have identified a gene preferentially expressed in pistils encoding a putative pectin acetylesterase (PAE), named . Here, we characterized the gene and performed genome-wide and phylogenetic analyses of PAEs. We identified 30 PAE sequences in the genome, distributed in four clades. The expression of was assessed by RT-qPCR and hybridization. We confirmed preferential expression in stigmas/styles and ovaries and demonstrated its high expression in the STT. Structural predictions and comparisons between NtPAE1 and functional enzymes validated its identity as a PAE. Transgenic plants were produced, overexpressing and silencing the gene. Overexpressed plants displayed smaller flowers while silencing plants exhibited collapsed pollen grains, which hardly germinate. silencing plants do not produce fruits, due to impaired pollen tube growth in their STTs. Thus, NtPAE1 is an essential enzyme regulating pectin modifications in flowers and, ultimately, in plant reproduction.
ISSN:2223-7747
2223-7747
DOI:10.3390/plants12020329