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Low temperature stress during microspore development alters cellular organisation in rice anthers. The major cellular damage includes unusual starch accumulation in the plastids of the endothecium in postmeiotic anthers, abnormal vacuolation and hypertrophy of the tapetum, premature callose (1, 3-β-glucan) breakdown and lack of normal pollen wall formation. These cellular lesions arise from damage to critical biochemical processes that include sugar metabolism in the anthers and its use by the microspores. Failure of utilization of the callose breakdown product and other microspore wall components like sporopollenin can also be considered as critical. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in the understanding of major biochemical processes including the expression of critical genes that are sensitive to low temperature in rice and cause male sterility. This paper combines a discussion of cellular organisation and associated biochemical processes that are sensitive to low temperatures and an overview of the potential mechanisms of low-temperature induced male sterility in rice.

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doi:10.1042/CBI20090417 Received 9 November 2009/4 December 2009; Accepted 25 January 2010 Published as Immediate Publication 25 January 2010