Analysis of the OsMYB80 Downstream Genes in Regulating Pollen Fertility

OsMYB80 is an important transcription factor for anther and pollen development in rice. However, its downstream target genes need to be further studied. In this study, 24 candidate genes were selected from the genes that may be directly regulated by OsMYB80. The 24 candidate genes may be involved in signal transduction, ubiquitination modification, vesicle transport, and unknown function, and their expression patterns were verified by qRT-PCR. Seven of these genes (LOC_Os06g11930, LOC_Os09g26470, LOC_Os01g04409, LOC_Os06g35160, LOC_Os06g11135, LOC_Os05g13650, LOC_Os01g14880) were mutated using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology. I₂-KI staining of pollen and seed setting analyses were performed on the knockout mutants. None of the seven gene knockout mutants were found to significantly affect plant fertility, indicating that these genes were not key for pollen fertility. These results also suggested that some of the OsMYB80-regulated genes might be functionally redundant or play a minor role in the anther and pollen development.