The Arabidopsis male-sterile mutant dde2-2 is defective in the ALLENE OXIDE SYNTHASE gene encoding one of the key enzymes of the jasmonic acid biosynthesis pathway

The Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. mutant delayed-dehiscence2-2 (dde2-2) was identified in an En1/Spm1 transposon-induced mutant population screened for plants showing defects in fertility. The dde2-2 mutant allele is defective in the anther dehiscence process and filament elongation and thus exhibits a male-sterile phenotype. The dde2-2 phenotype can be rescued by application of methyl jasmonate, indicating that the mutant is affected in jasmonic acid biosynthesis. The combination of genetic mapping and a candidate-gene approach identified a frameshift mutation in the ALLENE OXIDE SYNTHASE (AOS) gene, encoding one of the key enzymes of jasmonic acid biosynthesis. Expression analysis and genetic complementation of the dde2-2 phenotype by overexpression of the AOS coding sequence confirmed that the male-sterile phenotype is indeed caused by the mutation in the AOS gene.