Dicer-like 5 deficiency confers temperature-sensitive male sterility in maize

Chong Teng, Han Zhang, Reza Hammond, Kun Huang, Blake C. Meyers () and Virginia Walbot ()
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Chong Teng: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Han Zhang: Stanford University
Reza Hammond: University of Delaware
Kun Huang: University of Delaware
Blake C. Meyers: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Virginia Walbot: Stanford University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Small RNAs play important roles during plant development by regulating transcript levels of target mRNAs, maintaining genome integrity, and reinforcing DNA methylation. Dicer-like 5 (Dcl5) is proposed to be responsible for precise slicing in many monocots to generate diverse 24-nt phased, secondary small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs), which are exceptionally abundant in meiotic anthers of diverse flowering plants. The importance and functions of these phasiRNAs remain unclear. Here, we characterized several mutants of dcl5, including alleles generated by the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–Cas9 system and a transposon-disrupted allele. We report that dcl5 mutants have few or no 24-nt phasiRNAs, develop short anthers with defective tapetal cells, and exhibit temperature-sensitive male fertility. We propose that DCL5 and 24-nt phasiRNAs are critical for fertility under growth regimes for optimal yield.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16634-6

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