CHR721, interacting with OsRPA1a, is essential for both male and female reproductive development in rice

• Published in: Plant molecular biology Vol. 103; no. 4-5; pp. 473 - 487
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yushun, Chen, Qiong, Zhu, Guanlin, Zhang, Fang, Fang, Xiaohua, Ren, Haibo, Jiang, Jun’e, Yang, Fang, Zhang, Dechun, Chen, Fan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.07.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: abnormal development; Anaphase; binding proteins; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Cycle - genetics; Cell Cycle - physiology; cell cycle checkpoints; chromatin; Chromatin remodeling; Chromosomes, Plant; Cloning; Cloning, Molecular; Crop production; Defects; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Repair; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; Females; Fertility; gene expression regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; genes; Genes, Plant - genetics; Life Sciences; males; Meiosis; microspores; mitosis; molecular cloning; mutants; Oryza - embryology; Oryza - genetics; Oryza - growth & development; Ovule - cytology; Ovule - genetics; Plant Development - genetics; Plant Development - physiology; Plant Pathology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Sciences; Plants, Genetically Modified; Pollen; Pollen - genetics; Proteins; Replication protein A; Reproduction - genetics; Rice; Seeds - cytology; Seeds - genetics; Seeds - growth & development; spikelets; tissues; Male and female sterility; Chromatin remodeler; Rice; CHR721
• ISSN: 0167-4412; 1573-5028; 1573-5028
• DOI: 10.1007/s11103-020-01004-z

Key message CHR721 functions as a chromatin remodeler and interacts with a known single-stranded binding protein, OsRPA1a, to regulate both male and female reproductive development in rice. Reproductive development and fertility are important for seed production in rice. Here, we identified a sterile rice mutant, chr721 , that exhibited defects in both male and female reproductive development. Approximately 5% of the observed defects in chr721 , such as asynchronous dyad division, occurred during anaphase II of meiosis. During the mitotic stage, approximately 80% of uninucleate microspores failed to develop into tricellular pollen, leading to abnormal development. In addition, defects in megaspore development were detected after functional megaspore formation. CHR721 , which encodes a nuclear protein belonging to the SNF2 subfamily SMARCAL1, was identified by map-based cloning. CHR721 was expressed in various tissues, especially in spikelets. CHR721 was found to interact with replication protein A (OsRPA1a), which is involved in DNA repair. The expressions of genes involved in DNA repair and cell-cycle checkpoints were consistently upregulated in chr721 . Although numerous genes involved in male and female development have been identified, the mode of participation of chromatin-remodeling factors in reproductive development is still not well understood. Our results suggest that CHR721 , a novel gene cloned from rice, plays a vital role in both male and female reproductive development.