HDA6-mediated histone deacetylation restricts premature tapetal PCD to maintain male fertility during early flowering in Arabidopsis
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Histone deacetylation regulates plant development, yet its role in male gametophyte development and fertility remains unclear. Here, we show that histone deacetylase 6 (HDA6), an RPD3-like histone deacetylase, epigenetically regulates timely tapetal programmed cell death (PCD) and male fertility, predominantly during early flowering in Arabidopsis. Loss of HDA6 in axe1-4 causes early-stage male sterility followed by fertility recovery, accompanied by premature tapetal PCD, impaired pollen development and defective pollen wall formation. HDA6 interacts with squamosa promoter binding protein-like 8 (SPL8) to repress Arabidopsis NAC domain containing protein 087 ( ANAC087 ) through H3K9/K14 deacetylation. In axe1-4 , ANAC087 derepression activates cysteine endopeptidase 1 ( CEP1 ), triggering precocious tapetal PCD. Genetic suppression of ANAC087 or CEP1 restores male fertility. Thus, HDA6-SPL8 establishes a stage-dependent epigenetic checkpoint that restrains the ANAC087 - CEP1 cell death pathway and ensures timely tapetal PCD. Our study reveals how chromatin regulation integrates with developmental timing to safeguard plant male fertility.
Language: English
Topic: Plant Reproductive Biology
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213548561