Gene characterization and molecular pathway analysis of reverse thermosensitive genic male sterility in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

Bing Li; Xueping Chen; Yanrong Wu; Aixia Gu; Jingjing Zhang; Shuangxia Luo; Xiurui Gao; Jianjun Zhao; Xiuqing Pan; Shuxing Shen

doi:10.1038/s41438-019-0201-z

Gene characterization and molecular pathway analysis of reverse thermosensitive genic male sterility in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

Hortic Res. 2019 Nov 1:6:118. doi: 10.1038/s41438-019-0201-z. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Bing Li^{1

2}, Xueping Chen¹, Yanrong Wu², Aixia Gu¹, Jingjing Zhang², Shuangxia Luo¹, Xiurui Gao², Jianjun Zhao¹, Xiuqing Pan², Shuxing Shen¹

Affiliations

¹ 1Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071000 China.
² 2Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050051 China.

Abstract

The naturally occurring mutant eggplant line 05ms was identified with reverse thermosensitive genic male sterility (rTGMS), but its temperature-responsive fertility mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we studied the flower morphology, anther cellular structure, and genome-wide gene expression of this rTGMS line. Candidate genes for thermosensitive male sterility during the microspore development of 05ms and the temperature-insensitive line S63 under low-temperature (LT) and high-temperature (HT) conditions were identified. Under LT, tapetum cells were vacuolated and had delayed disintegration in 05ms. RNA-seq analysis indicated that DEGs were enriched in the KEGG pathways 'plant hormone signal transduction', 'starch and sucrose metabolism', and 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis'. We identified two genes, 4CLL1 (Sme2.5_00368.1_g00010.1) and CKI1 (Sme2.5_10056.1_g00002.1), which could potentially regulate eggplant anther development and may be candidate genes for rTGMS. Finally, we propose a working model of anther abortion for rTGMS in eggplant. CKI1 responds to LT stress and causes expression changes in genes related to anther development, such as 4CLL1, and the cellular structure of the tapetum becomes abnormal, causing male sterility. The findings of this study explain the underlying molecular mechanisms of male sterility in eggplant rTGMS lines.

Keywords: Plant breeding; Plant development; Plant reproduction.