Mutations in CNGC2 in Arabidopsis thaliana lead to a reduction in fertility due to a sporophytic defect

Abstract

While cyclic nucleotide gated channels (CNGCs) are known to play an important role in sensory transduction in animals, little is known about their functions and the mechanisms by which they act in plants. cngc2 plants exhibit reduced size and fertility. These phenotypes become more severe when the plants are treated with physiologically relevant levels of calcium. To determine the cause of reduced fertility, we investigated pollination and fertilization in cngc2 plants. These plants have short anthers, poor pollen tube growth, and a fertilization defect. By genetic analysis, we conclude that this is a sporophytic, not gametophytic, defect.