The transcription factor γMYB2 acts as a negative regulator of secondary cell wall thickening in anther and stem.

Secondary cell wall (SCW) thickening provides the mechanical force for anther dehiscence and plays an important role in the formation of xylem structure. We have previously reported that γMYB2, a MYB coiled-coil protein, directly binds to the P1BS cis-element of the PLA₂-γ promoter and acts as a co-activator of γMYB1 in controlling the expression of PLA₂-γ. In this study, we analyzed morphological phenotypes of the constitutive overexpression (γMYB2-OE) and knock-down (γMYB2-KD) lines of γMYB2. We found that γMYB2 overexpression caused the collapse of the endothecium layer, thereby suppressing anther dehiscence and forming short infertile siliques. The γMYB2-OE also showed less cellulose deposition in the xylem and had a longer primary stem than the wild-type, while γMYB2-KD had greater cellulose accumulation and a shorter primary stem than the wild-type. We demonstrated that the male sterility and the longer primary stem in γMYB2-OE were caused by reduced expression of SCW thickening-related genes. Our results suggest that γMYB2 acts as a negative regulator in controlling the SCW thickening in Arabidopsis.

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