Heterodimer Formation of BnPKSA or BnPKSB with BnACOS5 Constitutes a Multienzyme Complex in Tapetal Cells and is Involved in Male Reproductive Development in Brassica napus

Multienzyme associations localized to specific subcellular sites are involved in several critical functions in cellular metabolism, such as plant survival and reproduction. To date, few multienzyme complexes involved in male fertility have been examined in Brassica napus. Here, we reported that in B. napus, the members of a multienzyme complex work in an interaction pattern different from that in Arabidopsis thaliana for sporopollenin biosynthesis. 7365A, a male-sterile mutant with a relatively smooth anther cuticle, was found to have a dramatic reduction in both cutin monomers and wax composition. Proteomic comparison between the mutant 7365A and wild-type 7365B showed down-regulation of three sporopollenin biosynthetic enzymes, namely BnPKSA, BnPKSB and BnTKPR; these enzymes were tightly co-expressed with BnACOS5. BnPKSA and BnPKSB showed similar expression patterns but distinct accumulation levels, suggesting that they had partially distinct functions during sporopollenin biosynthesis. In vitro and in vivo analyses demonstrated that BnPKSB directly interacted with BnPKSA and BnACOS5, but no such interactions were found in the present investigation for BnTKPR1. Interestingly, the interaction between PKSA and PKSB has not been discovered in Arabidopsis, which may indicate a new interaction representing an additional efficient regulation method in B. napus. Taken together, we propose that BnPKSA and BnPKSB may comprise a heterodimer combined with BnACOS5, constituting a sporopollenin metabolon in tapetal cells that is related to male reproductive development in B. napus.