AUTHOR=Lu Jiayu , Wang Chaolong , Wang Haiyu , Zheng Hai , Bai Wenting , Lei Dekun , Tian Yunlu , Xiao Yanjia , You Shimin , Wang Qiming , Yu Xiaowen , Liu Shijia , Liu Xi , Chen Liangming , Jang Ling , Wang Chunming , Zhao Zhigang , Wan Jianmin 

TITLE=OsMFS1/OsHOP2 Complex Participates in Rice Male and Female Development

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.00518

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2020.00518

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Meiosis plays an essential role in the production of gametes and genetic diversity of posterities. The normal double-strand break (DSB) repair is vital to homologous recombination (HR) and occurrence of DNA fragment exchange, but the underlying molecular mechanism remain elusive. Here, we characterized a completely sterile <italic>Osmfs1</italic> (<underline>m</underline>ale and <underline>f</underline>emale <underline>s</underline>terility 1) mutant which has its pollen and embryo sacs both aborted at the reproductive stage due to severe chromosome defection. Map-based cloning revealed that the OsMFS1 encodes a meiotic coiled-coil protein, and it is responsible for DSB repairing that acts as an important cofactor to stimulate the single strand invasion. Expression pattern analyses showed the <italic>OsMFS1</italic> was preferentially expressed in meiosis stage. Subcellular localization analysis of OsMFS1 revealed its association with the nucleus exclusively. In addition, a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and pull-down assay showed that OsMFS1 could physically interact with <italic>OsHOP2</italic> protein to form a stable complex to ensure faithful homologous recombination. Taken together, our results indicated that <italic>OsMFS1</italic> is indispensable to the normal development of anther and embryo sacs in rice.</p>