A comparative ultrastructural study of pollen development in Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Columbia and male-sterile mutant apt1-3.

Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APT) catalyzes the conversion of adenine and cytokinin bases to the corresponding nucleotides. An Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lacking the major APT isoform, APT1, is male sterile due to defects soon after meiosis. We have now used electron microscopy to define the effects of APT1 deficiency on pollen development to determine whether the changes might be attributed to adenine or cytokinin metabolism. Changes were observed in mutant anthers in both tapetal and pollen mother cells prior to meiosis with additional defects found at later stages, in both compartments. Principal changes include altered lipid accumulation in the tapetal cells, changes in pollen cell wall development, and a loss of synchrony in the development of the tapetum and microspores. Taken together our results suggest that APT1 deficiency causes a general metabolic decrease in energy metabolism, due to the lack of adenine recycling into adenylate nucleotides, which ultimately leads to pollen abortion. The early onset of meiosis in the mutant may be associated with altered cytokinin metabolism.