Host: The Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists
Pages 0228
The regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and function are essential for all aspects of plant growth and development. However the molecular mechanisms involved are still unclear. Here we describe an analysis of the evolutionarily conserved Miro GTPases from Arabidopsis and show that one of the gene, AtMIRO1, is transcribed ubiquitously throughout the plant tissues. AtMIRO1 encodes a protein that localizes to mitochondria via its C-terminal transmembrane domain. An insertional mutation in the AtMIRO1 gene is lethal during embryogenesis at the early embryo stage and substantially impairs pollen germination and tube growth. The mutant pollen exhibit abnormally enlarged morphology of mitochondria. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial morphology is controlled by AtMIRO1 and is vital during embryogenesis and pollen tube growth.
