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Lv Y, Li J, Wang Z, Liu Y, Jiang Y, Li Y, Lv Z, Huang X, Peng X, Cao Y, Yang H. Polycomb proteins RING1A/B promote H2A monoubiquitination to regulate female gametophyte development in Arabidopsis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:4822-4836. [PMID: 38717070 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
A functional female gametophyte is the basis of successful sexual reproduction in flowering plants. During female gametophyte development, the megaspore mother cell (MMC), which differentiates from a single subepidermal somatic cell in the nucellus, undergoes meiosis to produce four megaspores; only the one at the chalazal end, referred to as the functional megaspore (FM), then undergoes three rounds of mitosis and develops into a mature embryo sac. Here, we report that RING1A and RING1B (RING1A/B), two functionally redundant Polycomb proteins in Arabidopsis, are critical for female gametophyte development. Mutations of RING1A/B resulted in defects in the specification of the MMC and the FM, and in the subsequent mitosis of the FM, thereby leading to aborted ovules. Detailed analysis revealed that several genes essential for female gametophyte development were ectopically expressed in the ring1a ring1b mutant, including Argonaute (AGO) family genes and critical transcription factors. Furthermore, RING1A/B bound to some of these genes to promote H2A monoubiquitination (H2Aub). Taken together, our study shows that RING1A/B promote H2Aub modification at key genes for female gametophyte development, suppressing their expression to ensure that the development progresses correctly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfang Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jian Li
- Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Shandong 261325, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Shandong 261325, China
| | - Yue Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yili Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yanzhuo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhaopeng Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiaoyi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiongbo Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Ying Cao
- College of Life Sciences, RNA Center, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Hongchun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
- RNA Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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Marchetti F, Distéfano AM, Cainzos M, Setzes N, Cascallares M, López GA, Zabaleta E, Carolina Pagnussat G. Cell death in bryophytes: emerging models to study core regulatory modules and conserved pathways. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:367-384. [PMID: 38953500 PMCID: PMC11341678 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
This review summarizes recent progress in our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying the cell death pathways in bryophytes, focusing on conserved pathways and particularities in comparison to angiosperms. Regulated cell death (RCD) plays key roles during essential processes along the plant life cycle. It is part of specific developmental programmes and maintains homeostasis of the organism in response to unfavourable environments. Bryophytes could provide valuable models to study developmental RCD processes as well as those triggered by biotic and abiotic stresses. Some pathways analogous to those present in angiosperms occur in the gametophytic haploid generation of bryophytes, allowing direct genetic studies. In this review, we focus on such RCD programmes, identifying core conserved mechanisms and raising new key questions to analyse RCD from an evolutionary perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Marchetti
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Ayelén Mariana Distéfano
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Maximiliano Cainzos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Nicolás Setzes
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Milagros Cascallares
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Gabriel Alejandro López
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Zabaleta
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Carolina Pagnussat
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Pinto SC, Leong WH, Tan H, McKee L, Prevost A, Ma C, Shirley NJ, Petrella R, Yang X, Koltunow AM, Bulone V, Kanaoka MM, Higashyiama T, Coimbra S, Tucker MR. Germline β-1,3-glucan deposits are required for female gametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5875. [PMID: 38997266 PMCID: PMC11245613 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50143-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Correct regulation of intercellular communication is a fundamental requirement for cell differentiation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the female germline differentiates from a single somatic ovule cell that becomes encased in β-1,3-glucan, a water insoluble polysaccharide implicated in limiting pathogen invasion, regulating intercellular trafficking in roots, and promoting pollen development. Whether β-1,3-glucan facilitates germline isolation and development has remained contentious, since limited evidence is available to support a functional role. Here, transcriptional profiling of adjoining germline and somatic cells revealed differences in gene expression related to β-1,3-glucan metabolism and signalling through intercellular channels (plasmodesmata). Dominant expression of a β-1,3-glucanase in the female germline transiently perturbed β-1,3-glucan deposits, allowed intercellular movement of tracer molecules, and led to changes in germline gene expression and histone marks, eventually leading to termination of germline development. Our findings indicate that germline β-1,3-glucan fulfils a functional role in the ovule by insulating the primary germline cell, and thereby determines the success of downstream female gametogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara C Pinto
- LAQV REQUIMTE, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Weng Herng Leong
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Hweiting Tan
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Lauren McKee
- Department of Chemistry, Division of Glycoscience, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amelie Prevost
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Chao Ma
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Neil J Shirley
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Rosanna Petrella
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Xiujuan Yang
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Anna M Koltunow
- Centre for Crop Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Vincent Bulone
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
- Department of Chemistry, Division of Glycoscience, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park Campus, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Masahiro M Kanaoka
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
- Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, 5562 Nanatsuka-cho, Shobara City, Hiroshima, 727-0023, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Higashyiama
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Sílvia Coimbra
- LAQV REQUIMTE, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Matthew R Tucker
- Waite Research Institute, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia.
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Yu Y, Zhu R, Xu H, Enugutti B, Schneitz K, Wang X, Li J. Twin Embryos in Arabidopsis thaliana KATANIN 1 Mutants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1824. [PMID: 38999664 PMCID: PMC11244573 DOI: 10.3390/plants13131824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Regulation of microtubule dynamics is crucial during key developmental transitions such as gametogenesis, fertilization, embryogenesis, and seed formation, where cells undergo rapid changes in shape and function. In plants, katanin plays an essential role in microtubule dynamics. This study investigates two seed developmental mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana, named elk5-1D (erecta-like 5, ELK5) and loo1 (lollipop 1), which are characterized by round seeds, dwarfism, and fertility defects. Notably, elk5-1D exhibits a dominant inheritance pattern, whereas loo1 is recessive. Through positional cloning, we identified both mutants as new alleles of the KATANIN 1 (KTN1) gene, which encodes a microtubule-severing enzyme critical for cell division and morphology. Mutations in KTN1 disrupt embryo cell division and lead to the emergence of a twin embryo phenotype. Our findings underscore the essential role of KTN1 in fertility and early embryonic development, potentially influencing the fate of reproductive cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youfeng Yu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China
- School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Rui Zhu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China
- School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Balaji Enugutti
- Plant Developmental Biology, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Kay Schneitz
- Plant Developmental Biology, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Xuanpeng Wang
- Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China
- School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Jing Li
- Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China
- School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
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Sharma I, Malathi P, Srinivasan R, Bhat SR, Sreenivasulu Y. Embryo sac cellularization defects lead to supernumerary egg cells and twin embryos in Arabidopsis thaliana. iScience 2024; 27:109890. [PMID: 38827396 PMCID: PMC11141147 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Arabidopsis lines with loss-of-function mutation in Embryo sac-specific Pectin MethylEsterase Inhibitor (Atepmei) gene showed seed sterility with embryo sac cellularization defects. Examination of tissue-cleared mature ovules revealed irregularly positioned nuclei/embryos within the embryo sacs. Egg cell-specific marker (DD45) expression analysis confirmed the presence of multiple egg cells in the mutant embryo sacs. These supernumerary egg cells were functional as evident from the production of twin embryos when supernumerary sperm cells were provided. The results of ruthenium red and tannic acid-ferric chloride staining of developing Atepmei mutant ovules showed that cell wall formation and maintenance were altered around embryo sac nuclei, which also coincided with change in the gamete specification. This report implicates the role of cell walls in gamete cell fate determination by altering cell-cell communication. Our analysis of the twin-embryo phenotype of epmei mutants also sheds light on the boundary conditions for double fertilization in plant reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isha Sharma
- CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Pinninti Malathi
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
| | | | | | - Yelam Sreenivasulu
- CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
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Tovar-Aguilar A, Grimanelli D, Acosta-García G, Vielle-Calzada JP, Badillo-Corona JA, Durán-Figueroa N. The miRNA822 loaded by ARGONAUTE9 modulates the monosporic female gametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLANT REPRODUCTION 2024; 37:243-258. [PMID: 38019279 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-023-00487-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE The miR822 together with of AGO9 protein, modulates monosporic development in Arabidopsis thaliana through the regulation of target genes encoding Cysteine/Histidine-Rich C1 domain proteins, revealing a new role of miRNAs in the control of megaspore formation in flowering plants. In the ovule of flowering plants, the establishment of the haploid generation occurs when a somatic cell differentiates into a megaspore mother cell (MMC) and initiates meiosis. As most flowering plants, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) undergoes a monosporic type of gametogenesis as three meiotically derived cells degenerate, and a single one-the functional megaspore (FM), divides mitotically to form the female gametophyte. The genetic basis and molecular mechanisms that control monosporic gametophyte development remain largely unknown. Here, we show that Arabidopsis plants carrying loss-of-function mutations in the miR822, give rise to extranumerary surviving megaspores that acquire a FM identity and divides without giving rise to differentiated female gametophytes. The overexpression of three miR822 putative target genes encoding cysteine/histidine-rich C1 (DC1) domain proteins, At5g02350, At5g02330 and At2g13900 results in defects equivalent to those found in mutant mir822 plants. The three miR822 targets genes are overexpressed in ago9 mutant ovules, suggesting that miR822 acts through an AGO9-dependent pathway to negatively regulate DC1 domain proteins and restricts the survival of meiotically derived cells to a single megaspore. Our results identify a mechanism mediated by the AGO9-miR822 complex that modulates monosporic female gametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Tovar-Aguilar
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Biotecnología, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Daniel Grimanelli
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Plant Genome and Development Laboratory, UMR5096, 34394, Montpellier, France
| | - Gerardo Acosta-García
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya, Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Jean-Philippe Vielle-Calzada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (Langebio), Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, CINVESTAV-IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | | | - Noé Durán-Figueroa
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Biotecnología, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Kuhn SA, Nogueira FM, Schürer T, Mariath JEA. Reproductive biology of the "Brazilian pine" (Araucaria angustifolia-Araucariaceae): the pollen tube growth and the seed cone development. PLANT REPRODUCTION 2024; 37:1-13. [PMID: 37449999 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-023-00473-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE In Araucaria angustifolia, the seed scale is part of the ovule, the female gametophyte presents a monosporic origin and arises from a coenocytic tetrad, and the pollen tube presents a single axis. The seed cone of conifers has many informative features, and its ontogenetic data may help interpret relationships among function, development patterns, and homology among seed plants. We reported the seed cone development, from pollination to pre-fertilization, including seed scale, ovule ontogeny, and pollen tube growth in Araucaria angustifolia. The study was performed using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT). During the pollination period, the ovule arises right after the seed scale has emerged. From that event to the pre-fertilization period takes about 14 months. Megasporogenesis occurs three weeks after ovule formation, producing a coenocytic tetrad. At the same time as the female gametophyte's first nuclear division begins, the pollen tube grows through the seed scale adaxial face. Until maturity, the megagametophyte goes through the free nuclei stage, cellularization stage, and cellular growth stage. Along its development, many pollen tubes develop in the nucellar tissue extending straight toward the female gametophyte. Our observations show that the seed scale came out of the same primordia of the ovule, agreeing with past studies that this structure is part of the ovule itself. The formation of a female gametophyte with a monosporic origin that arises from a coenocytic tetrad was described for the first time in conifers, and the three-dimensional reconstruction of the ovule revealed the presence of pollen tubes with only one axis and no branches, highlighting a new pattern of pollen tube growth in Araucariaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia A Kuhn
- Laboratório de Anatomia Vegetal (LAVeg), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Fernanda M Nogueira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Plantas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP) - Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Tainá Schürer
- Laboratório de Anatomia Vegetal (LAVeg), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Jorge E A Mariath
- Laboratório de Anatomia Vegetal (LAVeg), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Simonini S, Bencivenga S, Grossniklaus U. A paternal signal induces endosperm proliferation upon fertilization in Arabidopsis. Science 2024; 383:646-653. [PMID: 38330116 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj4996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
In multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction relies on the formation of highly differentiated cells, the gametes, which await fertilization in a quiescent state. Upon fertilization, the cell cycle resumes. Successful development requires that male and female gametes are in the same phase of the cell cycle. The molecular mechanisms that reinstate cell division in a fertilization-dependent manner are poorly understood in both animals and plants. Using Arabidopsis, we show that a sperm-derived signal induces the proliferation of a female gamete, the central cell, precisely upon fertilization. The central cell is arrested in S phase by the activity of the RETINOBLASTOMA RELATED1 (RBR1) protein. Upon fertilization, delivery of the core cell cycle component CYCD7;1 causes RBR1 degradation and thus S phase progression, ensuring the formation of functional endosperm and, consequently, viable seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Simonini
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Bencivenga
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ueli Grossniklaus
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
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9
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Ye S, Wang S, Chan R, Cao L, Wang H. Identification of short protein-destabilizing sequences in Arabidopsis cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, ICKs. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:772-788. [PMID: 37862584 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Plants have a family of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors called interactors/inhibitors of CDK (ICKs) or Kip-related proteins (KRPs). ICK proteins have important functions in cell proliferation, endoreduplication, plant growth, and reproductive development, and their functions depend on the protein levels. However, understanding of how ICK protein levels are regulated is very limited. We fused Arabidopsis ICK sequences to green fluorescent protein (GFP) and determined their effects on the fusion proteins in plants, yeast, and Escherichia coli. The N-terminal regions of ICKs drastically reduced GFP fusion protein levels in Arabidopsis plants. A number of short sequences of 10-20 residues were found to decrease GFP fusion protein levels when fused at the N-terminus or C-terminus. Three of the four short sequences from ICK3 showed a similar function in yeast. Intriguingly, three short sequences from ICK1 and ICK3 caused the degradation of the fusion proteins in E. coli. In addition, computational analyses showed that ICK proteins were mostly disordered and unstructured except for the conserved C-terminal region, suggesting that ICKs are intrinsically disordered proteins. This study has identified a number of short protein-destabilizing sequences, and evidence suggests that some of them may cause protein degradation through structural disorder and instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengjian Ye
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Sheng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Ron Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Ling Cao
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
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Huang Y, Liu L, Chai M, Su H, Ma S, Liu K, Tian Y, Cao Z, Xi X, Zhu W, Qi J, Palanivelu R, Qin Y, Cai H. Epigenetic regulation of female germline development through ERECTA signaling pathway. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1015-1033. [PMID: 37606225 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Germline development is a key step in sexual reproduction. Sexual plant reproduction begins with the formation of haploid spores by meiosis of megaspore mother cells (MMCs). Although many evidences, directly or indirectly, show that epigenetics plays an important role in MMC specification, how it controls the commitment of the MMC to downstream stages of germline development is still unclear. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), western blot, immunofluorescence, and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with quantitative PCR analyses were performed. Genetic interactions between BZR1 transcription factor family and the SWR1-SDG2-ER pathway in the control of female germline development were further studied. The present findings showed in Arabidopsis that two epigenetic factors, the chromatin remodeling complex SWI2/SNF2-RELATED 1 (SWR1) and a writer for H3K4me3 histone modification SET DOMAIN GROUP 2 (SDG2), genetically interact with the ERECTA (ER) receptor kinase signaling pathway and regulate female germline development by restricting the MMC cell fate to a single cell in the ovule primordium and ensure that only that single cell undergoes meiosis and subsequent megaspore degeneration. We also showed that SWR1-SDG2-ER signaling module regulates female germline development by promoting the protein accumulation of BZR1 transcription factor family on the promoters of primary miRNA processing factors, HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 (HYL1), DICER-LIKE 1 (DCL1), and SERRATE (SE) to activate their expression. Our study elucidated a Gene Regulation Network that provides new insights for understanding how epigenetic factors and receptor kinase signaling pathways function in concert to control female germline development in Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youmei Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Liping Liu
- Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, 93053, Germany
| | - Mengnan Chai
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Han Su
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Suzhuo Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Kaichuang Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yaru Tian
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Zhuangyuan Cao
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xinpeng Xi
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Wenhui Zhu
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Jingang Qi
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | | | - Yuan Qin
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Hanyang Cai
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
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11
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Siena LA, Michaud C, Selles B, Vega JM, Pessino SC, Ingouff M, Ortiz JPA, Leblanc O. TRIMETHYLGUANOSINE SYNTHASE1 mutations decanalize female germline development in Arabidopsis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:597-612. [PMID: 37548040 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Here, we report the characterization of a plant RNA methyltransferase, orthologous to yeast trimethylguanosine synthase1 (Tgs1p) and whose downregulation was associated with apomixis in Paspalum grasses. Using phylogenetic analyses and yeast complementation, we determined that land plant genomes all encode a conserved, specific TGS1 protein. Next, we studied the role of TGS1 in female reproduction using reporter lines and loss-of-function mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. pAtTGS1:AtTGS1 reporters showed a dynamic expression pattern. They were highly active in the placenta and ovule primordia at emergence but, subsequently, showed weak signals in the nucellus. Although expressed throughout gametophyte development, activity became restricted to the female gamete and was also detected after fertilization during embryogenesis. TGS1 depletion altered the specification of the precursor cells that give rise to the female gametophytic generation and to the sporophyte, resulting in the formation of a functional aposporous-like lineage. Our results indicate that TGS1 participates in the mechanisms restricting cell fate acquisition to a single cell at critical transitions throughout the female reproductive lineage and, thus, expand our current knowledge of the mechanisms governing female reproductive fate in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena A Siena
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | | | - Benjamin Selles
- DIADE, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, 34394, Montpellier, France
| | - Juan Manuel Vega
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | - Silvina C Pessino
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | - Mathieu Ingouff
- DIADE, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, 34394, Montpellier, France
| | - Juan Pablo A Ortiz
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | - Olivier Leblanc
- DIADE, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, 34394, Montpellier, France
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12
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Finseth F. Female meiotic drive in plants: mechanisms and dynamics. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2023; 82:102101. [PMID: 37633231 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Female meiosis is fundamentally asymmetric, creating an arena for genetic elements to compete for inclusion in the egg to maximize their transmission. Centromeres, as mediators of chromosomal segregation, are prime candidates to evolve via 'female meiotic drive'. According to the centromere-drive model, the asymmetry of female meiosis ignites a coevolutionary arms race between selfish centromeres and kinetochore proteins, the by-product of which is accelerated sequence divergence. Here, I describe and compare plant models that have been instrumental in uncovering the mechanistic basis of female meiotic drive (maize) and the dynamics of active selfish centromeres in nature (monkeyflowers). Then, I speculate on the mechanistic basis of drive in monkeyflowers, discuss how centromere strength influences chromosomal segregation in plants, and describe new insights into the evolution of plant centromeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Findley Finseth
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
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13
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Cai H, Liu L, Ma S, Aslam M, Qin Y. Insights into the role of phytohormones in plant female germline cell specification. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 75:102439. [PMID: 37604069 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Germline specification is a fundamental process in plant reproduction, and the Megaspore Mother Cell (MMC), is a critical cell that differentiates and develops into the female gametophyte. While numerous studies have investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying female germline specification, previous reviews have mainly focused on gene regulatory networks, epigenetic pathways, and small RNAs, neglecting the potential contribution of phytohormones to this process. This review aims to address this gap by highlighting recent advances in MMC formation and discussing the roles of specific phytohormones in female germline specialization. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the functions of phytohormones in the formation of MMC and their effects on female gametophyte development. Specifically, it examines the roles of gibberellins (GAs), brassinosteroids (BRs), auxins, and cytokinin, in MMC development. Understanding the function of phytohormones in MMC development is essential for comprehending the complex mechanisms underlying plant reproduction. This review adds valuable insights to the existing knowledge on MMC development, providing a new perspective for future research in the field of plant reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanyang Cai
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Liping Liu
- Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Suzhuo Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Mohammad Aslam
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yuan Qin
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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14
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Lorenzo CD, Debray K, Herwegh D, Develtere W, Impens L, Schaumont D, Vandeputte W, Aesaert S, Coussens G, De Boe Y, Demuynck K, Van Hautegem T, Pauwels L, Jacobs TB, Ruttink T, Nelissen H, Inzé D. BREEDIT: a multiplex genome editing strategy to improve complex quantitative traits in maize. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:218-238. [PMID: 36066192 PMCID: PMC9806654 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koac243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Ensuring food security for an ever-growing global population while adapting to climate change is the main challenge for agriculture in the 21st century. Although new technologies are being applied to tackle this problem, we are approaching a plateau in crop improvement using conventional breeding. Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene engineering have paved the way to accelerate plant breeding to meet this increasing demand. However, many traits are governed by multiple small-effect genes operating in complex interactive networks. Here, we present the gene discovery pipeline BREEDIT, which combines multiplex genome editing of whole gene families with crossing schemes to improve complex traits such as yield and drought tolerance. We induced gene knockouts in 48 growth-related genes into maize (Zea mays) using CRISPR/Cas9 and generated a collection of over 1,000 gene-edited plants. The edited populations displayed (on average) 5%-10% increases in leaf length and up to 20% increases in leaf width compared with the controls. For each gene family, edits in subsets of genes could be associated with enhanced traits, allowing us to reduce the gene space to be considered for trait improvement. BREEDIT could be rapidly applied to generate a diverse collection of mutants to identify promising gene modifications for later use in breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Denia Herwegh
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Ward Develtere
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Lennert Impens
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Dries Schaumont
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Wout Vandeputte
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Stijn Aesaert
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Griet Coussens
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Yara De Boe
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Kirin Demuynck
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Tom Van Hautegem
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Laurens Pauwels
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Thomas B Jacobs
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Tom Ruttink
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Hilde Nelissen
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
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15
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Abstract
Introducing asexual reproduction through seeds - apomixis - into crop species could revolutionize agriculture by allowing F1 hybrids with enhanced yield and stability to be clonally propagated. Engineering synthetic apomixis has proven feasible in inbred rice through the inactivation of three genes (MiMe), which results in the conversion of meiosis into mitosis in a line ectopically expressing the BABYBOOM1 (BBM1) parthenogenetic trigger in egg cells. However, only 10-30% of the seeds are clonal. Here, we show that synthetic apomixis can be achieved in an F1 hybrid of rice by inducing MiMe mutations and egg cell expression of BBM1 in a single step. We generate hybrid plants that produce more than 95% of clonal seeds across multiple generations. Clonal apomictic plants maintain the phenotype of the F1 hybrid along successive generations. Our results demonstrate that there is no barrier to almost fully penetrant synthetic apomixis in an important crop species, rendering it compatible with use in agriculture.
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16
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Specification of female germline by microRNA orchestrated auxin signaling in Arabidopsis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6960. [PMID: 36379956 PMCID: PMC9666636 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34723-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Germline determination is essential for species survival and evolution in multicellular organisms. In most flowering plants, formation of the female germline is initiated with specification of one megaspore mother cell (MMC) in each ovule; however, the molecular mechanism underlying this key event remains unclear. Here we report that spatially restricted auxin signaling promotes MMC fate in Arabidopsis. Our results show that the microRNA160 (miR160) targeted gene ARF17 (AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR17) is required for promoting MMC specification by genetically interacting with the SPL/NZZ (SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE) gene. Alterations of auxin signaling cause formation of supernumerary MMCs in an ARF17- and SPL/NZZ-dependent manner. Furthermore, miR160 and ARF17 are indispensable for attaining a normal auxin maximum at the ovule apex via modulating the expression domain of PIN1 (PIN-FORMED1) auxin transporter. Our findings elucidate the mechanism by which auxin signaling promotes the acquisition of female germline cell fate in plants.
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17
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Xie F, Vahldick H, Lin Z, Nowack M. Killing me softly - Programmed cell death in plant reproduction from sporogenesis to fertilization. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 69:102271. [PMID: 35963096 PMCID: PMC7613566 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Regulated or programmed cell death (RCD or PCD) is a fundamental biological principle integral to a considerable variety of functions in multicellular organisms. In plants, different PCD processes are part of biotic and abiotic stress responses, but also occur as an essential aspect of unperturbed plant development. PCD is particularly abundant during plant reproduction, eliminating unwanted or no longer needed cells, tissues, or organs in a precisely controlled manner. Failure in reproductive PCD can have detrimental consequences for plant reproduction. Here we shed a light on the latest research into PCD mechanisms in plant reproduction from sex determination over sporogenesis to pollination and fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xie
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hannah Vahldick
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Zongcheng Lin
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Moritz Nowack
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
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18
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Wang S, Cao L, Willick IR, Wang H, Tanino KK. Arabidopsis Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes UBC4, UBC5, and UBC6 Have Major Functions in Sugar Metabolism and Leaf Senescence. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:11143. [PMID: 36232444 PMCID: PMC9569852 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) is required for protein ubiquitination. Arabidopsis has 37 E2s grouped into 14 subfamilies and the functions for many of them are unknown. We utilized genetic and biochemical methods to study the roles of Arabidopsis UBC4, UBC5, and UBC6 of the E2 subfamily IV. The Arabidopsis ubc4/5/6 triple mutant plants had higher levels of glucose, sucrose, and starch than the control plants, as well as a higher protein level of a key gluconeogenic enzyme, cytosolic fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (cyFBP). In an in vitro assay, the proteasome inhibitor MG132 inhibited the degradation of recombinant cyFBP whereas ATP promoted cyFBP degradation. In the quadruple mutant ubc4/5/6 cyfbp, the sugar levels returned to normal, suggesting that the increased sugar levels in the ubc4/5/6 mutant were due to an increased cyFBPase level. In addition, the ubc4/5/6 mutant plants showed early leaf senescence at late stages of plant development as well as accelerated leaf senescence using detached leaves. Further, the leaf senescence phenotype remained in the quadruple ubc4/5/6 cyfbp mutant. Our results suggest that UBC4/5/6 have two lines of important functions, in sugar metabolism through regulating the cyFBP protein level and in leaf senescence likely through a cyFBP-independent mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Wang
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Ling Cao
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Ian R. Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Karen K. Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
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19
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Zhao P, Zhang C, Song Y, Xu X, Wang J, Wang J, Zheng T, Lin Y, Lai Z. Genome-wide identification, expression and functional analysis of the core cell cycle gene family during the early somatic embryogenesis of Dimocarpus longan Lour. Gene 2022; 821:146286. [PMID: 35176425 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Core cell cycle genes (CCCs) are essential regulators of cell cycle operation. In this study, a total of 69 CCCs family members, including 37 CYCs, 20 CDKs, five E2F/DPs, three KRPs, two RBs, one CKS and one Wee1, were identified from the longan genome. Phylogenetic and motifs analysis showed the evolutionary conservation of CCCs. Transcriptome dataset showed that CCCs had various expression patterns during longan early somatic embryogenesis (SE). Either CKS or CYCD3;2 silencing increased the expression of RB-E2F pathway genes, and the silencing of CYCD3;2 might induce the process of apoptosis in longan embryogenic callus (EC) cells. In addition, The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of CDKG2, CYCD3;2, CYCT1;2, CKS and KRP1 were elevated by ABA, 2,4-D and PEG4000 treatments, while CDKG2 and CYCT1;2 were inhibited by NaCl treatment. In conclusion, our study provided valuable information for understanding the characterization and biological functions of longan CCCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Zhao
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Chunyu Zhang
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yuyang Song
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiaoqiong Xu
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Jinyi Wang
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Jinhao Wang
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Tianyi Zheng
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yuling Lin
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Zhongxiong Lai
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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20
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Brassinosteroid signaling regulates female germline specification in Arabidopsis. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1102-1114.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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21
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Cao L, Wang S, Zhao L, Qin Y, Wang H, Cheng Y. The Inactivation of Arabidopsis UBC22 Results in Abnormal Chromosome Segregation in Female Meiosis, but Not in Male Meiosis. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10112418. [PMID: 34834780 PMCID: PMC8625819 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Protein ubiquitination is important for the regulation of meiosis in eukaryotes, including plants. However, little is known about the involvement of E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes in plant meiosis. Arabidopsis UBC22 is a unique E2 enzyme, able to catalyze the formation of ubiquitin dimers through lysine 11 (K11). Previous work has shown that ubc22 mutants are defective in megasporogenesis, with most ovules having no or abnormally functioning megaspores; furthermore, some mutant plants show distinct phenotypes in vegetative growth. In this study, we showed that chromosome segregation and callose deposition were abnormal in mutant female meiosis while male meiosis was not affected. The meiotic recombinase DMC1, required for homologous chromosome recombination, showed a dispersed distribution in mutant female meiocytes compared to the presence of strong foci in WT female meiocytes. Based on an analysis of F1 plants produced from crosses using a mutant as the female parent, about 24% of female mutant gametes had an abnormal content of DNA, resulting in frequent aneuploids among the mutant plants. These results show that UBC22 is critical for normal chromosome segregation in female meiosis but not for male meiosis, and they provide important leads for studying the role of UBC22 and K11-linked ubiquitination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (L.C.); (L.Z.); (Y.Q.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada;
| | - Sheng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada;
| | - Lihua Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (L.C.); (L.Z.); (Y.Q.)
| | - Yuan Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (L.C.); (L.Z.); (Y.Q.)
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada;
| | - Yan Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (L.C.); (L.Z.); (Y.Q.)
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22
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Zhao L, Liu L, Liu Y, Dou X, Cai H, Aslam M, Hou Z, Jin X, Li Y, Wang L, Zhao H, Wang X, Sicard A, Qin Y. Characterization of germline development and identification of genes associated with germline specification in pineapple. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2021; 8:239. [PMID: 34719672 PMCID: PMC8558326 DOI: 10.1038/s41438-021-00669-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Understanding germline specification in plants could be advantageous for agricultural applications. In recent decades, substantial efforts have been made to understand germline specification in several plant species, including Arabidopsis, rice, and maize. However, our knowledge of germline specification in many agronomically important plant species remains obscure. Here, we characterized the female germline specification and subsequent female gametophyte development in pineapple using callose staining, cytological, and whole-mount immunolocalization analyses. We also determined the male germline specification and gametophyte developmental timeline and observed male meiotic behavior using chromosome spreading assays. Furthermore, we identified 229 genes that are preferentially expressed at the megaspore mother cell (MMC) stage during ovule development and 478 genes that are preferentially expressed at the pollen mother cell (PMC) stage of anther development using comparative transcriptomic analysis. The biological functions, associated regulatory pathways and expression patterns of these genes were also analyzed. Our study provides a convenient cytological reference for exploring pineapple germline development and a molecular basis for the future functional analysis of germline specification in related plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Zhao
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter and Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Liping Liu
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yanhui Liu
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xianying Dou
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hanyang Cai
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mohammad Aslam
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Zhimin Hou
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xingyue Jin
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yi Li
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lulu Wang
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Heming Zhao
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- Horticulture Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning Investigation Station of South Subtropical Fruit Trees, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanning, China
| | - Adrien Sicard
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter and Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yuan Qin
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
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23
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Stein RE, Nauerth BH, Binmöller L, Zühl L, Loreth A, Reinert M, Ibberson D, Schmidt A. RH17 restricts reproductive fate and represses autonomous seed coat development in sexual Arabidopsis. Development 2021; 148:272091. [PMID: 34495331 DOI: 10.1242/dev.198739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Plant sexual and asexual reproduction through seeds (apomixis) is tightly controlled by complex gene regulatory programs, which are not yet fully understood. Recent findings suggest that RNA helicases are required for plant germline development. This resembles their crucial roles in animals, where they are involved in controlling gene activity and the maintenance of genome integrity. Here, we identified previously unknown roles of Arabidopsis RH17 during reproductive development. Interestingly, RH17 is involved in repression of reproductive fate and of elements of seed development in the absence of fertilization. In lines carrying a mutant rh17 allele, development of supernumerary reproductive cell lineages in the female flower tissues (ovules) was observed, occasionally leading to formation of two embryos per seed. Furthermore, seed coat, and putatively also endosperm development, frequently initiated autonomously. Such induction of several features phenocopying distinct elements of apomixis by a single mutation is unusual and suggests that RH17 acts in regulatory control of plant reproductive development. Furthermore, an in-depth understanding of its action might be of use for agricultural applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Eric Stein
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Berit Helge Nauerth
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Laura Binmöller
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luise Zühl
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Loreth
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maximilian Reinert
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Ibberson
- Deep Sequencing Core Facility, CellNetworks Excellence Cluster, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anja Schmidt
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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24
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Hou Z, Liu Y, Zhang M, Zhao L, Jin X, Liu L, Su Z, Cai H, Qin Y. High-throughput single-cell transcriptomics reveals the female germline differentiation trajectory in Arabidopsis thaliana. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1149. [PMID: 34599277 PMCID: PMC8486858 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02676-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Female germline cells in flowering plants differentiate from somatic cells to produce specialized reproductive organs, called ovules, embedded deep inside the flowers. We investigated the molecular basis of this distinctive developmental program by performing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of 16,872 single cells of Arabidopsis thaliana ovule primordia at three developmental time points during female germline differentiation. This allowed us to identify the characteristic expression patterns of the main cell types, including the female germline and its surrounding nucellus. We then reconstructed the continuous trajectory of female germline differentiation and observed dynamic waves of gene expression along the developmental trajectory. A focused analysis revealed transcriptional cascades and identified key transcriptional factors that showed distinct expression patterns along the germline differentiation trajectory. Our study provides a valuable reference dataset of the transcriptional process during female germline differentiation at single-cell resolution, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying germline cell fate determination. Zhimin Hou, Yanhui Liu et al. used single cell RNA-seq to analyze the model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana, at three stages during female germline differentiation. They reconstructed the continuous trajectory of female germline differentiation, providing a valuable reference for future investigation of germline cell fate determination in A. thaliana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Hou
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yanhui Liu
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Man Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lihua Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xingyue Jin
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Liping Liu
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhenxia Su
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hanyang Cai
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuan Qin
- College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China. .,State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, 530004, Nanning, China.
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25
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Böwer F, Schnittger A. How to Switch from Mitosis to Meiosis: Regulation of Germline Entry in Plants. Annu Rev Genet 2021; 55:427-452. [PMID: 34530640 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-112618-043553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
One of the major cell fate transitions in eukaryotes is entry into meiosis. While in single-celled yeast this decision is triggered by nutrient starvation, in multicellular eukaryotes, such as plants, it is under developmental control. In contrast to animals, plants have only a short germline and instruct cells to become meiocytes in reproductive organs late in development. This situation argues for a fundamentally different mechanism of how plants recruit meiocytes, and consistently, none of the regulators known to control meiotic entry in yeast and animals are present in plants. In recent years, several factors involved in meiotic entry have been identified, especially in the model plant Arabidopsis, and pieces of a regulatory network of germline control in plants are emerging. However, the corresponding studies also show that the mechanisms of meiotic entry control are diversified in flowering plants, calling for further analyses in different plant species. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genetics, Volume 55 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Böwer
- Department of Developmental Biology, Institute for Plant Sciences and Microbiology, University of Hamburg, D-22609 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Arp Schnittger
- Department of Developmental Biology, Institute for Plant Sciences and Microbiology, University of Hamburg, D-22609 Hamburg, Germany;
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26
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Hernandez-Lagana E, Mosca G, Mendocilla-Sato E, Pires N, Frey A, Giraldo-Fonseca A, Michaud C, Grossniklaus U, Hamant O, Godin C, Boudaoud A, Grimanelli D, Autran D, Baroux C. Organ geometry channels reproductive cell fate in the Arabidopsis ovule primordium. eLife 2021; 10:e66031. [PMID: 33960300 PMCID: PMC8219382 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction requires the separation of the germline from the soma. In flowering plants, the female germline precursor differentiates as a single spore mother cell (SMC) as the ovule primordium forms. Here, we explored how organ growth contributes to SMC differentiation. We generated 92 annotated 3D images at cellular resolution in Arabidopsis. We identified the spatio-temporal pattern of cell division that acts in a domain-specific manner as the primordium forms. Tissue growth models uncovered plausible morphogenetic principles involving a spatially confined growth signal, differential mechanical properties, and cell growth anisotropy. Our analysis revealed that SMC characteristics first arise in more than one cell but SMC fate becomes progressively restricted to a single cell during organ growth. Altered primordium geometry coincided with a delay in the fate restriction process in katanin mutants. Altogether, our study suggests that tissue geometry channels reproductive cell fate in the Arabidopsis ovule primordium.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gabriella Mosca
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Ethel Mendocilla-Sato
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Nuno Pires
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Anja Frey
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Alejandro Giraldo-Fonseca
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | | | - Ueli Grossniklaus
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Olivier Hamant
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, University of Lyon, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, INRIALyonFrance
| | - Christophe Godin
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, University of Lyon, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, INRIALyonFrance
| | - Arezki Boudaoud
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, University of Lyon, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, INRIALyonFrance
| | | | - Daphné Autran
- DIADE, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, University of Lyon, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, INRIALyonFrance
| | - Célia Baroux
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
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27
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Hernandez-Lagana E, Autran D. H3.1 Eviction Marks Female Germline Precursors in Arabidopsis. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E1322. [PMID: 33036297 PMCID: PMC7600056 DOI: 10.3390/plants9101322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In flowering plants, germline precursors are differentiated from somatic cells. The female germline precursor of Arabidopsis thaliana is located in the internal (nucellar) tissue of the ovule, and is known as the Megaspore Mother Cell (MMC). MMC differentiation in Arabidopsis occurs when a cell in the subepidermal layer of the nucellar apex enters the meiotic program. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that MMC specification is a plastic process where the number and developmental outcome of MMCs are variable. During its differentiation, the MMC displays specific chromatin hallmarks that distinguish it from other cells within the primordium. To date, these signatures have been only analyzed at developmental stages where the MMC is morphologically conspicuous, and their role in reproductive fate acquisition remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that the histone 3 variant H3.1 HISTONE THREE RELATED 13 (HTR13) can be evicted in multiple subepidermal cells of the nucellus, but that H3.1 eviction persists only in the MMC. This pattern is established very early in ovule development and is reminiscent of the specific eviction of H3.1 that marks cell cycle exit in other somatic cell types, such as the root quiescent center (QC) of Arabidopsis. Our findings suggest that cell cycle progression in the subepidermal region of the ovule apex is modified very early in development and is associated with plasticity of reproductive fate acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daphné Autran
- DIADE, IRD, CIRAD, University of Montpellier, 911 avenue Agropolis, 34000 Montpellier, France;
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28
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Su Z, Wang N, Hou Z, Li B, Li D, Liu Y, Cai H, Qin Y, Chen X. Regulation of Female Germline Specification via Small RNA Mobility in Arabidopsis. THE PLANT CELL 2020; 32:2842-2854. [PMID: 32703817 PMCID: PMC7474286 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.20.00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In the ovules of most sexually reproducing plants, one hypodermal cell differentiates into a megaspore mother cell (MMC), which gives rise to the female germline. Trans-acting small interfering RNAs known as tasiR-ARFs have been suggested to act non-cell-autonomously to prevent the formation of multiple MMCs by repressing AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR3 (ARF3) expression in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we examined tasiR-ARF-related intercellular regulatory mechanisms. Expression analysis revealed that components of the tasiR-ARF biogenesis pathway are restricted to distinct ovule cell types, thus limiting tasiR-ARF production to the nucellar epidermis. We also provide data suggesting tasiR-ARF movement along the mediolateral axis into the hypodermal cells and basipetally into the chalaza. Furthermore, we used cell type-specific promoters to express ARF3m, which is resistant to tasiR-ARF regulation, in different ovule cell layers. ARF3m expression in hypodermal cells surrounding the MMC, but not in epidermal cells, led to a multiple-MMC phenotype, suggesting that tasiR-ARFs repress ARF3 in these hypodermal cells to suppress ectopic MMC fate. RNA sequencing analyses in plants with hypodermally expressed ARF3m showed that ARF3 potentially regulates MMC specification through phytohormone pathways. Our findings uncover intricate spatial restriction of tasiR-ARF biogenesis, which together with tasiR-ARF mobility enables cell-cell communication in MMC differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenxia Su
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, Longhua Institute of Innovative Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Nannan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhimin Hou
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Baiyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Dingning Li
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yanhui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Hanyang Cai
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yuan Qin
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding, and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Xuemei Chen
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
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29
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Vercruysse J, Baekelandt A, Gonzalez N, Inzé D. Molecular networks regulating cell division during Arabidopsis leaf growth. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:2365-2378. [PMID: 31748815 PMCID: PMC7178401 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Leaves are the primary organs for photosynthesis, and as such have a pivotal role for plant growth and development. Leaf development is a multifactorial and dynamic process involving many genes that regulate size, shape, and differentiation. The processes that mainly drive leaf development are cell proliferation and cell expansion, and numerous genes have been identified that, when ectopically expressed or down-regulated, increase cell number and/or cell size during leaf growth. Many of the genes regulating cell proliferation are functionally interconnected and can be grouped into regulatory modules. Here, we review our current understanding of six important gene regulatory modules affecting cell proliferation during Arabidopsis leaf growth: ubiquitin receptor DA1-ENHANCER OF DA1 (EOD1), GROWTH REGULATING FACTOR (GRF)-GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR (GIF), SWITCH/SUCROSE NON-FERMENTING (SWI/SNF), gibberellin (GA)-DELLA, KLU, and PEAPOD (PPD). Furthermore, we discuss how post-mitotic cell expansion and these six modules regulating cell proliferation make up the final leaf size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmien Vercruysse
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Baekelandt
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Gonzalez
- INRAE, Université de Bordeaux, UMR1332 Biologie du fruit et Pathologie, INRA Bordeaux Aquitaine, Villenave d’Ornon cedex, France
| | - Dirk Inzé
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Correspondence:
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30
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Hojsgaard D. Apomixis Technology: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E411. [PMID: 32290084 PMCID: PMC7231277 DOI: 10.3390/genes11040411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Projections indicate that current plant breeding approaches will be unable to incorporate the global crop yields needed to deliver global food security. Apomixis is a disruptive innovation by which a plant produces clonal seeds capturing heterosis and gene combinations of elite phenotypes. Introducing apomixis into hybrid cultivars is a game-changing development in the current plant breeding paradigm that will accelerate the generation of high-yield cultivars. However, apomixis is a developmentally complex and genetically multifaceted trait. The central problem behind current constraints to apomixis breeding is that the genomic configuration and molecular mechanism that initiate apomixis and guide the formation of a clonal seed are still unknown. Today, not a single explanation about the origin of apomixis offer full empirical coverage, and synthesizing apomixis by manipulating individual genes has failed or produced little success. Overall evidence suggests apomixis arise from a still unknown single event molecular mechanism with multigenic effects. Disentangling the genomic basis and complex genetics behind the emergence of apomixis in plants will require the use of novel experimental approaches benefiting from Next Generation Sequencing technologies and targeting not only reproductive genes, but also the epigenetic and genomic configurations associated with reproductive phenotypes in homoploid sexual and apomictic carriers. A comprehensive picture of most regulatory changes guiding apomixis emergence will be central for successfully installing apomixis into the target species by exploiting genetic modification techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Hojsgaard
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, D-37073-1 Göttingen, Germany
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31
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Zhao H, Guo M, Yan M, Cheng H, Liu Y, She Z, Lai L, Shi C, Zhang M, Li Y, Lin D, Qin Y. Comparative Expression Profiling Reveals Genes Involved in Megasporogenesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 182:2006-2024. [PMID: 32054780 PMCID: PMC7140934 DOI: 10.1104/pp.19.01254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Megasporogenesis is a key step during ovule development in angiosperms, but the small number and inaccessibility of these cells have hampered molecular and genome-wide studies. Thus, many questions remain regarding the molecular basis of cell specification, differentiation, and development in the female gametophyte. Here, taking advantage of the correlation between spikelet length and ovule development in rice (Oryza sativa), we studied the transcriptome dynamics of young ovules at three stages, the archesporial cell, the megaspore mother cell before meiosis, and the functional megaspore after meiosis, using expression profiling based on RNA sequencing. Our analysis showed that 5,274 genes were preferentially expressed in ovules during megasporogenesis as compared to ovules at the mature female gametophyte stage. Out of these, 958 (18.16%) genes were archesporial cell- and/or megaspore mother cell-preferential genes, and represent a significant enrichment of genes involved in hormone signal transduction and plant pathogen interaction pathways, as well as genes encoding transcription factors. The expression patterns of nine genes that were preferentially expressed in ovules of different developmental stages, including the OsERECTA2 (OsER2) receptor-like kinase gene, were confirmed by in situ hybridization. We further characterized the OsER2 loss-of-function mutant, which had an excessive number of female germline cells and an abnormal female gametophyte, suggesting that OsER2 regulates germline cell specification during megasporogenesis in rice. These results expand our understanding of the molecular control of megasporogenesis in rice and contribute to the functional studies of genes involved in megasporogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heming Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Mingliang Guo
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Maokai Yan
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Han Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yanhui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zeyuan She
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Linyi Lai
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Chao Shi
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Minqian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yi Li
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Deshu Lin
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yuan Qin
- Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi, China
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Zühl L, Volkert C, Ibberson D, Schmidt A. Differential activity of F-box genes and E3 ligases distinguishes sexual versus apomictic germline specification in Boechera. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:5643-5657. [PMID: 31294816 PMCID: PMC6812705 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Germline specification is the first step during sexual and apomictic plant reproduction, and takes place in the nucellus of the ovule, a specialized domain of the reproductive flower tissues. In each case, a sporophytic cell is determined to form the sexual megaspore mother cell (MMC) or an apomictic initial cell (AIC). These differ in their developmental fates: while the MMC undergoes meiosis, the AIC modifies or omits meiosis to form the female gametophyte. Despite great interest in these distinct developmental processes, little is known about their gene regulatory basis. To elucidate the gene regulatory networks underlying germline specification, we conducted tissue-specific transcriptional profiling using laser-assisted microdissection and RNA sequencing to compare the transcriptomes of nucellar tissues between different sexual and apomictic Boechera accessions representing four species and two ploidy levels. This allowed us to distinguish between expression differences caused by genetic background or reproductive mode. Statistical data analysis revealed 45 genes that were significantly differentially expressed, and which potentially play a role for determination of the reproductive mode. Based on annotations, these included F-box genes and E3 ligases that most likely relate to genes previously described as regulators important for germline development. Our findings provide novel insights into the transcriptional basis of sexual and apomictic reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise Zühl
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg
- Present address: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Department of Comparative Development and Genetics, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, D-50829 Cologne
| | - Christopher Volkert
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg
| | - David Ibberson
- Deep Sequencing Core Facility, CellNetworks Excellence Cluster, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg
| | - Anja Schmidt
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Department of Biodiversity and Plant Systematics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg
- Correspondence:
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Albertini E, Barcaccia G, Carman JG, Pupilli F. Did apomixis evolve from sex or was it the other way around? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:2951-2964. [PMID: 30854543 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In angiosperms, there are two pathways of reproduction through seeds: sexual, or amphimictic, and asexual, or apomictic. The essential feature of apomixis is that an embryo in an ovule is formed autonomously. It may form from a cell of the nucellus or integuments in an otherwise sexual ovule, a process referred to as adventitious embryony. Alternatively, the embryo may form by parthenogenesis from an unreduced egg that forms in an unreduced embryo sac. The latter may form from an ameiotic megasporocyte, in which case it is referred to as diplospory, or from a cell of the nucellus or integument, in which case it is referred to as apospory. Progeny of apomictic plants are generally identical to the mother plant. Apomixis has been seen over the years as either a gain- or loss-of-function over sexuality, implying that the latter is the default condition. Here, we consider an additional point of view, that apomixis may be anciently polyphenic with sex and that both reproductive phenisms involve anciently canalized components of complex molecular processes. This polyphenism viewpoint suggests that apomixis fails to occur in obligately sexual eukaryotes because genetic or epigenetic modifications have silenced the primitive sex apomixis switch and/or disrupted molecular capacities for apomixis. In eukaryotes where sex and apomixis are clearly polyphenic, apomixis exponentially drives clonal fecundity during reproductively favorable conditions, while stress induces sex for stress-tolerant spore or egg formation. The latter often guarantees species survival during environmentally harsh seasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emidio Albertini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Gianni Barcaccia
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and the Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova Legnaro, PD, Italy
| | - John G Carman
- Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Fulvio Pupilli
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, Research Division of Perugia, National Research Council (CNR), Perugia, Italy
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Liu W, Huang S, Liu Z, Lou T, Tan C, Wang Y, Feng H. A missense mutation of STERILE APETALA leads to female sterility in Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. pekinensis). PLANT REPRODUCTION 2019; 32:217-228. [PMID: 30806770 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-019-00368-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Flower development is essential for the sexual reproduction and crop yield of plants. Thus, a better understanding of plant sterility from the perspective of morphological and molecular genetics is imperative. In our previous study, a recessive female-sterile Chinese cabbage mutant fsm was obtained from a doubled haploid line 'FT' via an isolated microspore culture combined with EMS mutagenesis. Pistil aniline blue staining and stigma scanning observation showed that the growth of the stigma papillar cells and pollen tubes of the mutant fsm were normal. Therefore, the female sterility was due to abnormal development of the ovules. To map the mutant fsm, 3108 F2 individuals were selected for linkage analysis. Two closely linked markers, Indel-I2 and Indel-I7, were localized on the flanking region of fsm at distances of 0.05 cM and 0.06 cM, respectively. The physical distance between Indel-I2 and Indel-I7 was ~ 1376 kb, with 107 genes remaining in the target region. This region was located on the chromosome A04 centromere, on which low recombination rates and a high frequency of repetitive sequences were present. Whole-genome re-sequencing detected a single-nucleotide (C-to-A) transition (TCG/TAG) on the exon of BraA04001030, resulting in a premature stop codon. Genotyping revealed that the female-sterile phenotype was fully cosegregated with this SNP. BraA04001030 encodes a homologue of STERILE APETALA (SAP) transcriptional regulator, which plays vital roles in floral development. The results of the present study suggest that BraA04001030 is a strong candidate gene for fsm and provide the basis for exploring the molecular mechanism underlying female sterility in Chinese cabbage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Liu
- Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China
| | - Shengnan Huang
- Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyong Liu
- Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China
| | - Tengxue Lou
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - Chong Tan
- Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiheng Wang
- Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Feng
- Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
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Lora J, Yang X, Tucker MR. Establishing a framework for female germline initiation in the plant ovule. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:2937-2949. [PMID: 31063548 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Female gametogenesis in flowering plants initiates in the ovule, where a single germline progenitor differentiates from a pool of somatic cells. Germline initiation is a fundamental prerequisite for seed development but is poorly understood at the molecular level due to the location of the cells deep within the flower. Studies in Arabidopsis have shown that regulators of germline development include transcription factors such as NOZZLE/SPOROCYTELESS and WUSCHEL, components of the RNA-dependent DNA methylation pathway such as ARGONAUTE9 and RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 6, and phytohormones such as auxin and cytokinin. These factors accumulate in a range of cell types from where they establish an environment to support germline differentiation. Recent studies provide fresh insight into the transition from somatic to germline identity, linking chromatin regulators, cell cycle genes, and novel mobile signals, capitalizing on cell type-specific methodologies in both dicot and monocot models. These findings are providing unique molecular and compositional insight into the mechanistic basis and evolutionary conservation of female germline development in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Lora
- Department of Subtropical Fruits, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea 'La Mayora' (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain
| | - Xiujuan Yang
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
| | - Mathew R Tucker
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
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Pinto SC, Mendes MA, Coimbra S, Tucker MR. Revisiting the Female Germline and Its Expanding Toolbox. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 24:455-467. [PMID: 30850278 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The Arabidopsis thaliana ovule arises as a female reproductive organ composed solely of somatic diploid cells. Among them, one cell will acquire a unique identity and initiate female germline development. In this review we explore the complex network that facilitates differentiation of this single cell, and consider how it becomes committed to a distinct developmental program. We highlight recent progress towards understanding the role of intercellular communication, cell competency, and cell-cycle regulation in the ovule primordium, and we discuss the possibility that distinct pathways restrict germline development at different stages. Importantly, these recent findings suggest a renaissance in plant ovule research, restoring the female germline as an attractive model to study cell communication and cell fate establishment in multicellular organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara C Pinto
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; GreenUPorto, Sustainable AgriFood Production Research Centre, Rua da Agrária 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Marta A Mendes
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sílvia Coimbra
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; GreenUPorto, Sustainable AgriFood Production Research Centre, Rua da Agrária 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Matthew R Tucker
- School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia.
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Erbasol Serbes I, Palovaara J, Groß-Hardt R. Development and function of the flowering plant female gametophyte. Curr Top Dev Biol 2019; 131:401-434. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2018.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Juranić M, Tucker MR, Schultz CJ, Shirley NJ, Taylor JM, Spriggs A, Johnson SD, Bulone V, Koltunow AM. Asexual Female Gametogenesis Involves Contact with a Sexually-Fated Megaspore in Apomictic Hieracium. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 177:1027-1049. [PMID: 29844228 PMCID: PMC6052994 DOI: 10.1104/pp.18.00342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Apomixis results in asexual seed formation where progeny are identical to the maternal plant. In ovules of apomictic species of the Hieracium subgenus Pilosella, meiosis of the megaspore mother cell generates four megaspores. Aposporous initial (AI) cells form during meiosis in most ovules. The sexual pathway terminates during functional megaspore (FM) differentiation, when an enlarged AI undergoes mitosis to form an aposporous female gametophyte. Then, the mitotically programmed FM dies along with the three other megaspores by unknown mechanisms. Transcriptomes of laser-dissected AIs, ovule cells, and ovaries from apomicts and AI-deficient mutants were analyzed to understand the pathways involved. The steps leading to AI mitosis and sexual pathway termination were determined using antibodies against arabinogalactan protein epitopes found to mark both sexual and aposporous female gametophyte lineages at inception. At most, four AIs differentiated near developing megaspores. The first expanding AI cell to contact the FM formed a functional AI that underwent mitosis soon after megaspore degeneration. Transcriptome analyses indicated that the enlarged, laser-captured AIs were arrested in the S/G2 phase of the cell cycle and were metabolically active. Further comparisons with AI-deficient mutants showed that AIs were enriched in transcripts encoding homologs of genes involved in, and potentially antagonistic to, known FM specification pathways. We propose that AI and FM cell contact provides cues required for AI mitosis and megaspore degeneration. Specific candidates to further interrogate AI-FM interactions were identified here and include Hieracium arabinogalactan protein family genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Juranić
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Agriculture and Food, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Matthew R Tucker
- School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Carolyn J Schultz
- School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Neil J Shirley
- School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Wine Innovation Central, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Jennifer M Taylor
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Agriculture and Food, Black Mountain Laboratories, Black Mountain, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Andrew Spriggs
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Agriculture and Food, Black Mountain Laboratories, Black Mountain, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Susan D Johnson
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Agriculture and Food, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Vincent Bulone
- School of Agriculture, Food, and Wine, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Wine Innovation Central, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Anna M Koltunow
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Agriculture and Food, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
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