Expression of an Antisense BcMF3 Affects Microsporogenesis and Pollen Tube Growth in Arabidopsis

In an effort to provide some information relevant to the molecular mechanism of genic male sterility in plants, BcMF3 gene that encodes a pectin methylesterase was isolated from the fertile B line of Chinese cabbage-pak-choi (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis, syn. B. campestris ssp. chinensis). In the present paper, a 455-bp antisense cDNA fragment of BcMF3 was introduced to binary vector pB1121, and then was mobilized into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404. The A. tumefaciens harboring the BcMF3 antisense fragment was transformed to Arabidopsis thaliana by floral dip. Scanning electronic microscopy examination demonstrated that 47.8% of BcMF3 antisense pollen grains exhibited abnormal shape, which might lead to decreased germination of pollens, suggesting that the product of BcMF3 gene plays an important role during microsporogenesis. The evidence on burst of 45.7% of BcMF3 antisense pollen tubes in vitro and a majority of BcMF3 antisense pollens restricted within the stigmatic tissue revealed that BcMF3 is involved in aiding the growth of pollen tubes. The results suggest that BcMF3 acts at both stages of microsporogensis and pollen tube growth.