Use of serial analysis of gene expression technology to reveal changes in gene expression in Arabidopsis pollen undergoing cold stress

Abstract

We have characterized the global gene expression patterns of Arabidopsis pollen using Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE). A total of 21,237 SAGE tags were sequenced and 4,211 unique tags were identified. Interestingly, the number of unique tags in pollen was low compared with the SAGE library of the leaf constructed on a similar scale. The transcript profiles of pollen reflect accurately the characteristics of pollen as a reproductive organ. Functional classification of the expressed genes reveals that those involved in cellular biogenesis such as polygalacturonase, pectate lyase, and pectin methylesterase make up more than 40% of the total transcripts. However, genes involved in energy and protein synthesis, which are prevalent in leaves, were expressed at a relatively low level. The expression level of the great majority of transcripts was unaffected by cold treatment at 0°C for 72 h, whereas pollen tube growth and seed production were substantially reduced. Interestingly, many genes thought to be responsible for cold acclimation such as COR, lipid transfer protein, and β-amylase, that are highly induced in Arabidopsis leaves, were only expressed at their normal level or weakly induced in the pollen. The expression patterns of the cold-responsive transcripts identified by SAGE were confirmed by microarray analysis. Our results strongly suggest that poor accumulation of proteins that play a role in stress tolerance may be why Arabidopsis pollen is cold sensitive.