Transgene constructs and phenotypes of transgenic plants.
Schematic diagrams of the pUGP1RNAi construct for double-stranded RNA interference and the pUGP1COM construct used for the complementation test. In pUGP1RNAi, the 473-bp gene-specific fragment of the UGPase1 gene was linked with the intron in both antisense and sense orientations, such that the transcripts were expected to create a dsRNA stem with a single-stranded loop. Phenotype of UGPase1-RNAi plants (b–g).
Hwacheong plants after ripening: containing the empty vector (left) and transformed by pUGP1RNAi (right).
Photograph (c) is the double enlargement of a part of the photo (b).
Panicles of a vector-transformed plant and a UGPase1-RNAi plant at anthesis (left) and after ripening (right).
Flower and anther morphology of a vector-transformed plant (left) and UGPase1-RNAi plant (right) at the heading stage. To view the anthers, the lemma was ripped off.
I2-KI staining of pollen grains from a vector-transformed plant at the heading stage, showing the presence of normal, round and starch-filled grains.
I2-KI staining of pollen grains from a UGPase1-RNAi plant at the heading stage, showing the presence of abnormal, small and non-stained grains caused by the lack of starch. Phenotypic complementation by introduction of the UGPase1 gene (h–m).
Phenotype of Hwacheong ms-h mutants after ripening: plants containing the empty vector (left) and complemented by the introduction of pUGP1COM (right).
Photograph (i) is the triple enlargement of a part of the photo (h).
Panicles of a vector-transformed plant and the complemented plant at anthesis (left) and after ripening (right).
Flower and anther morphology of an empty vector-transformed plant (left) and the complemented plant (right) at heading stage.
I2-KI staining of pollen grains from a empty vector-transformed plant at heading, showing the presence of abnormal and non-stained grains.
I2-KI staining of pollen grains from the complemented plant at heading. This photograph shows the presence of normal grains, indicating the restoration of fertility. The scale bar corresponds to 100 μm.