CELL DEATH1 safeguards microspore fate determination by repressing vacuole-executed programmed cell death

During flowering plant reproduction, microspores develop a prominent vacuole before entering pollen mitosis I (PMI), a critical checkpoint where defective microspores are selectively eliminated via programmed cell death (PCD). However, the mechanism governing the vacuole-driven PCD remains enigmatic. Here, we identify CELL DEATH1 (CED1), a fasciclin I (FAS1)-domain-containing protein, as a suppressor of premature microspore PCD. CED1 is predominantly expressed in pollen mother cells (PMCs) and tetrads, with the encoded protein localizing to the plasma membrane and endomembranes. ced1 microspores exhibit defective vacuole biogenesis, vesicle deacidification, nuclear arrest, and cell clearance with hallmarks of PCD. CED1 physically interacts with the subunit c of vacuolar H⁺-ATPase (VHA-c), where it sustains V-ATPase activity, and the overexpression of VHA-c decreases pollen viability. Our work reveals that CED1 safeguards pollen development and may suppress vacuole-driven PCD in association with VHA regulation, elucidating a quality control mechanism in pollen development.