• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1996.07a
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• pp.48-60
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• 1996

We previously identified and characterized a predominantly pollen-expressed gene of Petunia inflata that encodes a receptor-like kinase named PRK1. The extracellular domain of PRK1 contains leucine-rich repeats which have been implicated in protein-protein interactions, and the cytoplasmic domain was found to autophosphorylate on serine and tyrosine. To investigate the function PRK1 in pollen development, we transformed P. inflata plants with a construct containing the promoter of a predominantly pollen-expressed gene of tomato, LAT52, fused to an antisense PRK1 cDNA corresponding to part of the extracellular domain of PRK1, There transgenic plants were found to each produce approximately equal amounts of normal and aborted pollen. Analysis of the inheritance of the transgene inserts in two of the transgenic plants, ASRK-13 and ASRK-20, to their progeny revealed that certain transgene inserts cosegregated with the pollen abortion phenotype. Microscopic examination of the aborted pollen grains showed that their outer wall, the exine, was essentially normal, but that their cytoplasm contained only starch-like granules. Staining of the nuclei of the microspores at different stages of uninucleate stage. However, at subsequent stages half of the microspores completed mitosis and developed into normal binucleate pollen, but the other half initially remained uninucleate, then lost their nucleio. Analysis of the amounts of PRK1 mRNA and the antisense PRK1 transcript suggested that the pollen abortion phenotype most likely resulted from down-regulation of the PRK1 gene by the antisense PRK1 transgene. These results suggest that PRK1 plays an essential role in a signal transduction pathway that mediates post-meiotic development of microspores.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.506-517
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• 2015

Arabidopsis Shaggy-like protein kinases (ASKs) are Arabidopsis thaliana homologs of glycogen synthase kinase 3/SHAGGY-like kinases (GSK3/SGG), which are comprised of 10 genes with diverse functions. To dissect the function of $ASK{\beta}$ (AtSK32), $ASK{\beta}$ antisense transgenic plants were generated, revealing the effects of $ASK{\beta}$ down-regulation in Arabidopsis. Suppression of $ASK{\beta}$ expression specifically interfered with pollen development and fertility without altering the plants' vegetative phenotypes, which differed from the phenotypes reported for Arabidopsis plants defective in other ASK members. The strength of these phenotypes showed an inverse correlation with the expression levels of $ASK{\beta}$ and its co-expressed genes. In the aborted pollen of $ASK{\beta}$ antisense plants, loss of nuclei and shrunken cytoplasm began to appear at the bicellular stage of microgametogenesis. The in silico analysis of promoter and the expression characteristics implicate $ASK{\beta}$ is associated with the expression of genes known to be involved in sperm cell differentiation. We speculate that $ASK{\beta}$ indirectly affects the transcription of its co-expressed genes through the phosphorylation of its target proteins during late pollen development.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.234-240
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• 2005

This study was conducted to identify cross compatibility with table grape and pollen characteristics by flower type in Vitis amurensis Rupr. (GW-22, GW-45, GW-56, GW-200, GW-202 and GW-300) collected in Gangwon area. Flower structure, germinability and morphology of pollen, and cross compatibility with table grape were examined. Flowers of GW-22 and GW-56 had an aborted gynoecium and five erect fdaments, and all of them was male. The percentage of pollen germination of GW-22 and GW-56 on the agar medium was 27.6-29.8%. Flowers of GW-45, GW-200, GW-202 and GW-300 had well-developed pistils and five stamens with curled filaments. The percentage of pollen germination of female plant on the agar medium was 0%. Pollen grail)s from GW-22 and GW-56 (male flower) have symmetrically distributed three furrows on their surface and each furrow contains a germ pore at the equatorial level (Tricolporated). GW-45, GW-200, GW202, and GW-300 (Female flower) produced pollen grains with no germinative structures (acolporated). In self-pollina-tion of female flowers, berries of clusters were no berry and no seed. Therefore, flower structure in V. amurensis proved to be that of other dioecious Vitis species. In cross combination of female and male flower of V. amurensis made normal seeds. In cross combination of table grape and V. amurensis of male flower made normal seeds. But, in cross combination of female flower of V. amurensis did not make seeds. Therefore, V. amurensis was cross compatible with vitis spp, and V. amurensis varieties may contribute to breeding studies of Vitis spp.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.394-406
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• 1991

It was proved that cold tolerance of rice plants at the young microspore stage was affected by water temperature and nitrogen application from the spikelet differentiation stage to the young microspore stage, and this mechanism could be explained in the point of view of pollen developmental physiology. The cold tolerance of rice plants at the young microspore stage was severely affected by water temperature (Previous water temperature) and nitrogen application(Previous nitrogen application) from the spikelet differentiation stage to the spikelet differentiation stage. Although the duration is only 10 days or so from the spikelet differentiation stage to the young microspore stage, these days are very important period to confirm the cold tolerance of rice plants at the young microspore stage. The higher previous water temperature up to $25^{\circ}C$ and the deeper previous water depth up to 10cm caused the more cold tolerance of rice plants. Water irrigation of 10cm before the cretical stage showed lower cool injury than that of water irrigation of 20cm during the critical stage. The preventive effect of cool injury by combined treatment of the deep water irrigation before and during the critical stage was not additive but synergistic. The cold tolerance of rice plants grown in previous heavy nitrogen level was rapidly decreased when nitrogen content of leaf blade at the young microspore stage was excessive over the critical nitrogen level. Nitrogen content of leaf blade at the changing point of cold tolerance was estimated as about 3.5% for Japonica cultivars and about 2.5% for Indica x Japonica cultuvars. It is considered that these critical nitrogen contents of leaf blade can be used as a index of the safe critical nitrogen level for the preventive practices to cool injury. It was summarized that increase of engorged pollens per anther by high previous water temperature resulted from the increase of number of differentiated microspores per anther, otherwise, the increase of engorged pollens by the decrease of previous nitrogen level was caused by the decrease of the number of aborted microspores per anther.