Probable component of a SCF (SKP1-CULLIN-F-box protein) E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase complex and may function through the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation or signaling pathway. Required for male meiotic prophase I progression. Required for telomere bouquet formation, homologous chromosome pairing and for the formation of the synaptonemal complex (SC), which stabilizes initial chromosomal axial associations and promotes crossover formation. Involved in meiotic DNA double-strand break (DSB) end-processing and repair, and is important in the recruitment of DSB repair proteins to the DSB sites. Protein modification; protein ubiquitination. Part of a SCF (SKP1-CUL1-F-box protein) E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase complex (Probable). Interacts (via F-box domain) directly with SKP1 (PubMed:27436711). Localizes to male meiotic chromosomes from leptotene to pachytene during meiotic prophase I. Highly expressed in the stem, leaf and in the anther during meiosis. Weakly expressed in roots and lemma/palea. Highly expressed in the anther during meiosis and then gradually decreases after meiosis. Predominantly expressed during the cytological substages of meiotic prophase I from leptotene to pachytene peaking in zygotene. From stage 7 to stage 9, detected in both the tapetum and male meiocytes of the anther. Plants are female fertile, but male sterile as they are not able to produce tetrads and microspores. No differences compared to the wild-type plant during the vegetative stage. Plants develop normal panicles and floral organs, except for smaller and pale-yellow anthers that fail to produce viable pollen grains. No effect on the differentiation or early mitotic division of germ cells. No meiocytes are detected in 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm long flowers, but in 3.0 mm flowers meiosis appears to initiate normally. At leptotene stage of meiotic prophase I, chromosomes appear normal in male meiocytes and cohesion of sister chromatids is not affected. However, subsequent stages of prohase I are severely impaired. Meiocytes display disrupted telomere bouquet formation, impaired pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes, and arrested meiocytes at late prophase I, followed by apoptosis. The transverse filament protein ZEP1, an essential synaptonemal complex (SC)-related protein, is not detected. Although normal, programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) form, foci of the phosphorylated histone gamma H2AX, a marker for DSBs, persist indicating that many of the DSBs remain unrepaired. The recruitment of COM1 and RAD51C to DSBs is severely compromised in meiocytes indicating that normally formed DSB ends are not processed and repaired. Belongs to the F-box protein family. FBX subfamily.