Zmspl10, Zmspl14, And Zmspl26 Act Together To Promote Stigmatic Papilla Formation In Maize Through Regulating Auxin Signaling And Zmwox3a Expression

    July 2024 in “ New Phytologist ”
    Dexin Kong, Yifeng Jing, Ya-Ping Duan, Mengqi He, Hui Ding, Heying Li, Zhuojun Zhong, Zhigang Zheng, Xiuying Fan, Xuan Pan, Yanqun Li, Mei Bai, Xinjian Li, Min‐Hua Luo, Weicong Xue, Xiaoming Zhang, Xin Xu, Yateng Yuan, Ting Zou, Lihong Chen, Wenyan Ding, Yongping Zhao, Baobao Wang, Hong Wu, Qing Liu, Haiyang Wang
    TLDR ZmSPL10, ZmSPL14, and ZmSPL26 genes are essential for forming maize structures needed for pollen capture and kernel production.
    This study reveals that the genes ZmSPL10, ZmSPL14, and ZmSPL26 are crucial for the formation of stigmatic papillae in maize, which are essential for pollen capture and successful kernel setting. The research shows that these genes regulate the expression of target genes SPI1, ZmPIN1b, ZmARF28, and ZmWOX3A, which are involved in auxin signaling and are expressed in precursor cells of stigmatic papillae. Triple knockout mutants of these genes exhibit a significant lack of stigmatic papillae, leading to reduced kernel production. Additionally, Zmwox3a knockout mutants also show defects in papilla formation, underscoring the importance of these genetic pathways in maize reproduction.
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