BcMF20, a putative pollen-specific transcription factor from Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis

The Arabidopsis transcription factor (At1g26610) was shown to be down-regulated in male sterile lines compared to their maintainer line in Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis) in our previous study. The BcMF20 gene, homologue of the At1g26610 gene was isolated from Chinese cabbage. It encodes a putative C2H2 zinc finger protein. The spatial and temporal expression patterns examined by qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization, indicated BcMF20 is specifically expressed in the developing pollen grains and the tapetum from the uninucleate pollen stage to mature pollen stage.