Figure 4. bHLH142 overexpressing anthers produce defective pollen grains.

(a) I₂-KI staining of pollen grains from WT and transgenic plants (L40 and L42). (b) SEM images of WT and transgenic pollen grains (L40 and L42). (c) Quantitative estimation of pollen viability through I₂-KI staining. Error bars indicate standard deviation (SD). The data are presented as the mean ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks indicate significant difference with respect to WT (‘***’ indicates t-test, p-value ≤ 0.001). (d) Transverse sections of WT and transgenic anthers (L42) during various stages of development. Arrows in the tetrad panel indicate well developed and poorly developed tapetum in WT and transgenic anthers, respectively. WT, Wild Type; E, Epidermis; En, Endothecium; M, Middle layer; T, Tapetum. Scales: (a), 50 μm; (b), upper panel 50 μm, lower panel 10 μm; (d), 50 μm.