雄配子/花粉的形成是植物生殖发育的关键过程。作为最重要的植物激素之一，生长素及其信号通路在花粉发育过程的作用并不清楚。申请人上一个项目研究发现生长素的合成对于花粉的正常发育是必需的，然而其中具体的信号通路目前并无报导。申请人前期的研究获得了生长素响应因子缺失的突变体：arf10arf16arf17+/-，并发现ARF10，ARF16和ARF17是作为配子体基因特异地参与花粉的正常发育及传递过程。本项目将以该突变体为基础，完成以下几项研究内容：1）分析生长素响应因子参与花粉发育的具体阶段和具体过程；2）研究花粉中生长素响应因子的蛋白表达谱及其对生长素响应模式的影响；3）获得受生长素响应因子直接调控的下游基因，构建生长素下游信号网络。这些研究结果将帮助我们深入理解生长素响应因子在植物花粉发育中的功能，拓宽人们对植物生殖过程调控网络与调控机制的认识。

Formation of the Male gametophyte/pollen is a critical process during plant reproduction. The detailed function and molecular mechanisms of auxin during pollen development is unclear. Our last completed project has showed that auxin production is essential for pollen development. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism of auxin during pollen formation remains elusive. Auxin Response Factors (ARFs) are important transcription factors that mediate auxin response via regulating the expression of auxin regulated genes. Now, we have screened a series of arf mutants and found that arf10arf16arf17 +/- displays a pollen abortion phenotype. Genetic analysis revealed that ARF10, ARF16 and ARF17 act as gametophytic genes and are specifically involved in male gametophyte transmission. This proposed project will 1) investigate the detailed roles of ARF10，ARF16 and ARF17 during pollen development; 2) analyze the expression patterns of ARF10 and ARF16 in pollen and determine the distribution of auxin in arf10arf16arf17 pollen; 3) discover and confirm the direct target genes of these three ARF proteins. By studying this project, we expect to clarify the function of the ARF mediated auxin signaling pathway during pollen development, and to broad our knowledge about the regulatory mechanism governing plant reproduction.