title: Chloroplasts in anther endothecium of Zea mays (Poaceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although anthers of Zea mays, Oryza sativa, and Arabidopsis thaliana have been studied intensively using genetic and biochemical analyses in the past 20 years, few updates to anther anatomical and ultrastructural descriptions have been reported. For example, no transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the premeiotic maize anther have been published. Here we report the presence of chloroplasts in maize anthers.
  
  
  METHODS
  TEM imaging, electron acceptor photosynthesis assay, in planta photon detection, microarray analysis, and light and fluorescence microscopy were used to investigate the presence of chloroplasts in the maize anther.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most cells of the maize subepidermal endothecium have starch-containing chloroplasts that do not conduct measurable photosynthesis in vitro.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The maize anther contains chloroplasts in most subepidermal, endothecial cells. Although maize anthers receive sufficient light to photosynthesize in vivo and the maize anther transcribes >96% of photosynthesis-associated genes found in the maize leaf, no photosynthetic light reaction activity was detected in vitro. The endothecial cell layer should no longer be defined as a complete circle viewed transversely in anther lobes, because chloroplasts are observed only in cells directly beneath the epidermis and not those adjacent to the connective tissue. We propose that chloroplasts be a defining characteristic of differentiated endothecial cells and that nonsubepidermal endothecial cells that lack chloroplasts be defined as a separate cell type, the interendothecium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, 385 Serra Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 USA egger@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, 385 Serra Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 USA egger@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, 385 Serra Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 USA.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Walbot
mesh_terms: D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010788:Photosynthesis; D013213:Starch / Q000378:metabolism; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D013213:Starch
keywords: Poaceae; anther; chloroplast; endothecium; maize; microarray; photosynthesis; starch