植物花粉壁是花粉的重要结构，不仅在花粉发育和受精过程中起重要作用，还和雄配子存活、雄性不育、花粉-柱头识别等直接相关。阿拉伯半乳糖蛋白（AGPs）家族中的类成束阿拉伯半乳糖蛋白（FLAs）亚家族在花粉壁发育过程中发挥重要作用。本项目以在白菜花粉中特异表达的2个FLAs基因BcFLA14a和BcFLA14b为对象，利用能高效引起体内靶基因沉默的人工microRNA技术对其进行单基因抑制和双基因共抑制，通过形态学、细胞学、孢粉学、遗传学水平观测分析转基因植株，鉴定其功能，比较它们在花粉壁发育过程中的作用模式异同；同时通过比较拟南芥FLA14相应的功能缺失突变体表型并基因互补试验，研究三者之间的相互关系。通过上述研究对在花粉表达甚至花粉特异表达的AGPs基因，尤其是已有成员被报道确实参与花粉壁发育的FLAs亚家族成员的功能进行深入解析，有助于建立花粉壁发育的详细框架和系统认识雄性不育的分子机理。

The elaborately sculpted pollen wall plays important role not only in the process of pollen development and fertilization, but also in the protection of gamete, male sterility and pollen-stigma recognition. Fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins (FLAs), a subfamily of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) which are complex hyperglycosylated glycoproteins, are believed to be involved in pollen wall formation. Here, functional characterization and relationship investigation of two pollen-specific FLAs genes, BcFLA14a and BcFLA14b, are explored via the highly specific gene silencing by the artificial microRNAs technology in Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis. Artificial microRNAs will be designed to target individual genes and both. Morphological, cytological, palynological and genetical analysis will be performed on the transgenic plants to achieve the objectives. Meanwhile, based on characterization of an Arabidopsis mutant generated by T-DNA insertional mutagenesis of FLA14, BcFLA14a or BcFLA14b will be over-expressed in fla14 mutant background, to test if they could partially/fully compensate for a loss of FLA14 function. These researches will do a great favor on understanding the role and function of pollen-expressed/specific FLAs genes, provide help to establish detailed framework of pollen wall development, and get us know more about the molecular mechanism of male sterility.