Antisense inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase E1alpha subunit in anther tapetum causes male sterility.

We hypothesized that cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in sugar beet may be the consequence of mitochondrial dysfunctions affecting normal anther development. To test the hypothesis, we attempted to mimic the sugar beet CMS phenotype by inhibiting the expression of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), which is essential for the operation of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Screening with a cDNA library of sugar beet flower buds allowed the identification of two PDH E1alpha subunit genes (bvPDH_E1alpha-1 and bvPDH_E1alpha-2).