Rice pollen aperture formation is regulated by the interplay between OsINP1 and OsDAF1.

The aperture on the pollen surface provides an exit for the emerging pollen tube. Apertures exhibit huge morphological variation across plant species—grasses, including rice, possess a complex aperture consisting of an annulus and an operculum—but little is known about how this species-specific cell-surface pattern forms. Here, we report a lectin receptor-like kinase in Oryza sativa, OsDAF1, which is essential for annulus formation and thus for fertility. OsDAF1 is evenly distributed in early microsporocytes but localizes to the distal pre-aperture site at the tetrad stage. We further reveal that the rice orthologue of a key aperture factor in Arabidopsis, OsINP1, has conserved and diversified roles in rice aperture formation. Disruption of OsINP1 prevents formation of the aperture, precluding pollen-tube germination. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that OsINP1 is required for polarization of OsDAF1 via direct protein interaction, suggesting that OsINP1 has an additional role in the formation of annulus that is absent in Arabidopsis. Our study reveals the importance of the aperture for rice grain yield and reveals mechanisms controlling pollen aperture development in cereal species. Apertures are thin areas on the wall of pollen grains where pollen tubes can penetrate. The number and configuration of pollen apertures vary drastically in different plant species. Here, Xu Zhang and colleagues identify a novel aperture factor that is essential for the formation of pollen aperture and for reproduction in rice.