Abstract
Cysteine proteases (CPs) are vital proteolytic enzymes that play critical roles in various plant processes. However, the particular functions of CPs in maize remain largely unknown. We recently identified a pollen-specific CP (named PCP), which highly accumulated on the surface of maize pollen. Here, we reported that PCP played an important role in pollen germination and drought response in maize. Overexpression of PCP inhibited pollen germination, while mutation of PCP promoted pollen germination to some extent. Furthermore, we observed that germinal apertures of pollen grains in the PCP-overexpression transgenic lines were excessively covered, whereas this phenomenon was not observed in the wild type (WT), suggesting that PCP regulated pollen germination by affecting the germinal aperture structure. In addition, overexpression of PCP enhanced drought tolerance in maize plants, along with the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes and the decreased numbers of the root cortical cells. Conversely, mutation of PCP significantly impaired drought tolerance. These results may aid in clarifying the precise functions of CPs in maize and contribute to the development of drought-tolerant maize materials.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
PCP overexpression inhibited pollen germination.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overexpression of PCP inhibited pollen germination”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP mutation promoted pollen germination to some extent.
- Treatment
- mutation of PCPe0
- Gene
- PCPe0
- Outcome
- pollen germinatione0
- Direction
- promotede0
- Qualifier
- to some extente0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“mutation of PCP promoted pollen germination to some extent.”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP overexpression excessively covered pollen germinal apertures compared with wild type.
- Treatment
- PCP-overexpression transgenic linese0
- Gene
- PCPe0
- Outcome
- germinal apertures of pollen grainse0
- Comparator
- wild type (WT)e0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“germinal apertures of pollen grains in the PCP-overexpression transgenic lines were excessively covered, whereas this phenomenon was not observed in the wild type (WT)”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP appears to regulate germination via germinal aperture structure.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“suggesting that PCP regulated pollen germination by affecting the germinal aperture structure.”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP overexpression enhanced maize drought tolerance.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“overexpression of PCP enhanced drought tolerance in maize plants”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP overexpression increased antioxidant enzyme activities.
- Treatment
- overexpression of PCPe1
- Gene
- PCPe1
- Outcome
- activities of the antioxidant enzymese0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“along with the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes”
t0“Maize”
e1“In addition, overexpression of PCP enhanced drought tolerance in maize plants, along with the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes and the decreased numbers of the root cortical cells.”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP overexpression decreased root cortical cell numbers.
- Treatment
- overexpression of PCPe1
- Gene
- PCPe1
- Outcome
- numbers of the root cortical cellse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the decreased numbers of the root cortical cells.”
t0“Maize”
e1“In addition, overexpression of PCP enhanced drought tolerance in maize plants, along with the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes and the decreased numbers of the root cortical cells.”
Claim · model-written summary
PCP mutation significantly impaired drought tolerance.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“mutation of PCP significantly impaired drought tolerance.”
t0“Maize”
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