Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Involvement of PnMYB26 in Regulating Anther Development in Phyllostachys nigra

Phyllostachys nigra is an important ornamental plant characterized by deep purple culms and a long flowering period. Normal anther development is an essential prerequisite for seed formation in plants. The regulatory mechanism of the development of anther in P. nigra is still not clear. To better understand the anther development process in P. nigra, we compared the transcriptome analysis of anthers at four different developmental stages. We selected 1528 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during these four stages. KEGG and WGCNA analyses revealed that the DEGs were mainly involved in ‘cutin, suberine and wax biosynthesis’ and ‘phenylpropanoid biosynthesis’. Moreover, 125 transcription factors were differentially expressed across these four stages, among which the MYB family harbored the largest number of members. We performed qPCR to validate the selected candidate genes. The overexpression of PnMYB26 may modulate NST1 expression, a gene associated with secondary cell wall thickening, thereby inhibiting pollen release and ultimately reducing fertility in Arabidopsis. Our results uncovered the regulatory mechanism of anther development and helped us to further explore the regulatory mechanisms of anther development-related genes in P. nigra.