Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42324779›Full record

ArticleThe New phytologist2026

Variation at the ZmCALS5 promoter regulates maize pollen fertility by modulating ZmABI4 binding affinity.

Junyao Li, Tengyue Wang, Xi Wang, Zhen Tao, Chuanhong Wang, Yibing Zhao, Mingliang Cui, Liming Wang, Peijin Li

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In one paragraph

Article in The New phytologist, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Junyao LiThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2765-0662
Tengyue WangThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7195-6518
Xi WangThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9056-454X
Zhen TaoThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6207-4062
Chuanhong WangThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8446-9268
Yibing ZhaoThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7589-4378
Mingliang CuiThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1972-3151
Liming WangThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8197-2000
Peijin LiThe National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, The School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University/The Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230036, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1579-7553

Funding

Agriculture Science and Technology Major Project NK202307020104National Key Research and Development Program of China 2022YFD1201803the Bio-breeding Laboratory of Anhui Province 2025SWYZ0200the National Natural Science Foundation of China 32171954the National Natural Science Foundation of China 32202322
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pollen fertility is a key factor affecting yield in maize (Zea mays), but the mechanism underlying this trait in natural accessions is poorly understood. Here, we performed quantitative trait locus mapping and identified the candidate gene ZmCALS5 encoding a callose synthase as controlling maize pollen fertility. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the ZmCALS5 promoter (-756A/C) influenced the ZmCALS5 expression level and the content of callose, a pollen component essential for maize pollen fertility. This SNP-756A/C lies within the binding site for the transcription factor ZmABI4, which directly binds and represses ZmCALS5 expression. ZmABI4 is a negative regulator of callose accumulation and pollen fertility. The SNP-756C allele was found at high frequency in teosinte but rarely occurred in modern maize. Genetic diversity analysis demonstrated that ZmCALS5 exhibits decreased nucleotide diversity, which might suggest a potential selection signature during maize domestication and improvement. Collectively, this study establishes a new paradigm for the research of maize pollen development, revealing that ZmABI4 represses ZmCALS5 expression, thereby negatively regulating callose accumulation and pollen fertility. These findings provide a new paradigm for maize pollen development and uncover a valuable natural allele variation for maize breeding.

Indexed as

GlucosyltransferasesPlant ProteinsPollenPromoter Regions, GeneticTranscription FactorsZea maysAllelesBase SequenceFertilityGene Expression Regulation, PlantGenes, PlantGlucansPolymorphism, Single NucleotideProtein BindingQuantitative Trait LocicalloseGlucansGlucosyltransferasesPlant ProteinsTranscription FactorsMaizenatural variationpollen fertilityquantitative trait locusZmABI4ZmCALS5

Identifiers

PMID42324779
PMCPMC13491265

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.