The ()-Like Gene Is Required for Anther and Microspore Development in Pepper ( L.).

Pepper ( L.) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide. Although many genes associated with anther and pollen development have been identified, little is known about the mechanism of pollen abortion in pepper. Here, we identified and isolated two putative () isoforms from pepper flowers: and . Sequence analysis showed that was generated by retention of the fourth intron in pre-mRNA. encodes a putative protein with a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain belonging to the MYC subfamily of bHLH transcription factors, and it is localized to the nucleus. Truncated and are produced by alternative splicing. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that (referred to and ) was preferentially expressed in stamens and its expression level gradually decreases with flower development. RNA in situ hybridization analysis showed that is strongly expressed in the tapetum at the tetrad and uninucleate stages. Downregulation of led to partial shortened filaments, shriveled, indehiscent stamens and abortive pollens in pepper flowers. Several genes involved in pollen exine formation were downregulated in defective -silenced anthers. Thus, seems to play an important role in pepper tapetum and pollen development by regulating a complex genetic network.