Abstract
Galacturonosyltransferase (GalAT) is required for the synthesis of pectin, an important component of plant cell walls that is also involved in signal transduction. Here, we describe the rice (Oryza sativa) male-sterile mutant O. sativa pectin-defective tapetum1 (ospdt1), in which GalAT is mutated. The ospdt1 mutant exhibited premature programmed cell death (PCD) of the tapetum and disordered pollen walls, resulting in aborted pollen grains. Pectin distribution in the anther sac was comparable between the mutant and the wild-type, suggesting that the structural pectin was not dramatically affected in ospdt1. Wall-associated kinases are necessary for the signal transduction of pectin, and the intracellular distribution of O. sativa indica WALL-ASSOCIATED KINASE1 (OsiWAK1), which binds pectic polysaccharides to its extracellular domain, was affected in ospdt1. OsiWAK1 RNA interference lines exhibited earlier tapetal PCD, similar to ospdt1. Furthermore, overexpression of OsiWAK1 in ospdt1 lines partially rescued the defects observed in ospdt1, suggesting that OsiWAK1 plays pivotal roles in the function of OsPDT1. These results suggest that the mutation of OsPDT1 does not dramatically affect structural pectin but affects components of the pectin-mediated signaling pathway, such as OsiWAK1, and causes male sterility.