In vitro microspore selection in maize anther culture with oxidative-stress stimulators

Gametic embryogenesis and haploid technology as valuable support to plant breeding

Plant breeding is focused on continuously increasing crop production to meet the needs of an ever-growing world population, improving food quality to ensure a long and healthy life and address the problems of global warming and environment pollution, together with the challenges of developing novel sources of biofuels. The breeders' search for novel genetic combinations, with which to select plants with improved traits to satisfy both farmers and consumers, is endless. About half of the dramatic increase in crop yield obtained in the second half of the last century has been achieved thanks to the results of genetic improvement, while the residual advance has been due to the enhanced management techniques (pest and disease control, fertilization, and irrigation). Biotechnologies provide powerful tools for plant breeding, and among these ones, tissue culture, particularly haploid and doubled haploid technology, can effectively help to select superior plants. In fact, haploids (Hs), which are plants with gametophytic chromosome number, and doubled haploids (DHs), which are haploids that have undergone chromosome duplication, represent a particularly attractive biotechnological method to accelerate plant breeding. Currently, haploid technology, making possible through gametic embryogenesis the single-step development of complete homozygous lines from heterozygous parents, has already had a huge impact on agricultural systems of many agronomically important crops, representing an integral part in their improvement programmes. The aim of this review was to provide some background, recent advances, and future prospective on the employment of haploid technology through gametic embryogenesis as a powerful tool to support plant breeding.

Haploids in flowering plants: origins and exploitation

The first haploid angiosperm, a dwarf form of cotton with half the normal chromosome complement, was discovered in 1920, and in the ninety years since then such plants have been identified in many other species. They can occur either spontaneously or can be induced by modified pollination methods in vivo, or by in vitro culture of immature male or female gametophytes. Haploids represent an immediate, one-stage route to homozygous diploids and thence to F(1) hybrid production. The commercial exploitation of heterosis in such F(1) hybrids leads to the development of hybrid seed companies and subsequently to the GM revolution in agriculture. This review describes the range of techniques available for the isolation or induction of haploids and discusses their value in a range of areas, from fundamental research on mutant isolation and transformation, through to applied aspects of quantitative genetics and plant breeding. It will also focus on how molecular methods have been used recently to explore some of the underlying aspects of this fascinating developmental phenomenon.

Melatonin and serotonin in flowers and fruits of Datura metel L

Datura metel is a plant that contains several different neurologically active phytochemicals which affect human health. On-going research has examined the potential role of the human neuroindoles, melatonin and serotonin, in medicinal plants with neurological efficacy. In this report, we describe the quantification of melatonin and serotonin in flowers and developing fruits of Datura metel and the effects of cold stress on the levels of these neuroindoles in the reproductive tissues of this plant. Melatonin and serotonin were found at the highest levels in the least developed flower buds with decreasing concentrations as the flower buds matured. Cold stress significantly increased the concentration of melatonin in young flower buds. In the developing fruit, melatonin was present at relatively stable, high concentrations for the first 10 days after anthesis. After 10-15 days, the ovule had grown to a sufficient size for excision and analysis and melatonin was found to be at the highest concentrations in the developing ovule with minimal concentrations of the neuroindoles in the fleshy fruit. Together, these data indicate that melatonin may play a role in protecting the reproductive tissues during flower and seed formation in a Datura species.

ROXY1 and ROXY2, two Arabidopsis glutaredoxin genes, are required for anther development

Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are small oxidoreductases that are involved in various cellular processes and play a crucial role in responses to oxidative stress. Three GRX subgroups exist in plants, and GRXs with active sites of the CPYC and CGFS types are common to pro- and eukaryotes. In contrast, GRXs with the CC type motif have so far only been identified in land plants. Here, we report that the two CC-type GRXs ROXY1 and ROXY2 together control anther development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Single roxy1 and roxy2 mutants are fertile and produce normal anthers. However, roxy1 roxy2 double mutants are sterile and do not produce pollen. Strikingly, abaxial and adaxial anther lobe differentiation are differently affected, with early lobe differentiation being defective in the adaxial lobes, whereas later steps during pollen mother cell differentiation are disrupted in the abaxial lobes. Expression studies show that ROXY1 and ROXY2 are expressed with overlapping patterns during anther development. Lack of ROXY1 and ROXY2 function affects a large number of anther genes at the transcriptional level. Genetic and RT-PCR data imply that ROXY1/2 function downstream of the early-acting anther gene SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE and upstream of DYSFUNCTIONAL TAPETUM1, controlling tapetum development. Mutagenesis of a conserved glutathione-binding glycine in the ROXY1 protein indicates that CC-type GRXs need to interact with glutathione to catalyze essential biosynthetic reactions. Analysis of these two novel anther genes indicates that redox regulation, as well as participating in plant stress defense mechanisms, might play a major role in the control of male gametogenesis.