4.3 Effects of T. laevis and T. controversa on wheat anther development
To understand the infection between somatic and reproductive cell in wheat anther, cell number and size were estimated in infected anthers. In the case of the T. laevis and T. controversa wheat interaction, the consequence of successful infection is the change of the cell count and cell size of anther. Thus, the normal development of anther cell layers influence by pathogens (Walbot & Skibbe, 2010; Li, 2013; Banuett et al., 1996). Confocal imaging allowed measurement of wheat anther cell counts and sizes after fungal infection during anther development. By comparing with control anthers, cell size and numbers increased or decreased significantly due to the infection of T. laevis or T. controversa (Figures 5, 7, Tables3, 4, 5, 6 ). Anther consists of unreproductive and reproductive cell types, and almost each cell type showed alterations in width, length and depth, and /or volume and percentage in some stages after infection. Our results showed that cell count of EPI, EN and ML significantly decreased, but no statistically observation was noted in the cell sizes of EPI, EN, and ML after T. laevis infection along Y-axis. In the case of T. controversa the cell count of EPI along X- and Y- axes increased at the first stage of development, which suggest abnormalities in the normal process of development. The SPL cells produce ML and TA, after infection the cell count of X*Y in ML and TA increased, mean T. controversa disrupts the normal development of both cells (Figure 7C, Table 5 ). Additionally, the all-somatic and reproductive cells of anthers affected by the T. controversa . However, the volume of ML and TA cells decreased in 400-700 µm sized anthers, which infect the formation process of MP and PG. The cell width, length and volume of PMC and MP cells increased in 400-700 µm and 700-1100 µm anthers compared to control plants (Kelliher & Walbot, 2011). The infected TA cells remain undifferentiated for long time compared to normal cells. The cell counts, and cell sizes of cell types changed by both fungal infection.