Silencing of Arabidopsis RUS4 Impairs Anther Endothecium Secondary Cell Wall Thickening
Li Wenchao, Zhang Yi, Zhao Shuqing*
RUS4 is a member of the domain of unknown function 647 (DUF647) protein family that is conserved in diverse eukaryotic organisms, but has no known function. Here, we showed that Arabidopsis RUS4 knockdown plants, referred to as RUS4-ami RNA, had defects in anther dehiscence. Whole mount clearly analysis revealed that the secondary wall thickening in the endothecium of RUS4-ami RNA anthers was significantly reduced. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR analyses showed that transcript abundance of the secondary wall NAC domain genes and MYB transcription factor genes were dramatically reduced in the RUS4-ami RNA flower buds. Furthermore, the expression of several cellulose synthases genes were also strongly reduced in floral buds of the RUS4-ami RNA plants. Our results suggested that RUS4 might play an important role in the secondary thickening formation in the anther endothecium by affecting the expression of secondary cell wall-related genes.
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