Flores-Vergara Miguel A, Oneal Elen, Costa Mario, Villarino Gonzalo, Roberts Caitlyn, De Luis Balaguer Maria Angels, Coimbra Sílvia, Willis John, Franks Robert G
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.
Front Plant Sci. 2020 Feb 25;11:132. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00132. eCollection 2020.
The double fertilization of the female gametophyte initiates embryogenesis and endosperm development in seeds the activation of genes involved in cell differentiation, organ patterning, and growth. A subset of genes expressed in endosperm exhibit imprinted expression, and the correct balance of gene expression between parental alleles is critical for proper endosperm and seed development. We use a transcriptional time series analysis to identify genes that are associated with key shifts in seed development, including genes associated with secondary cell wall synthesis, mitotic cell cycle, chromatin organization, auxin synthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and seed maturation. We relate these genes to morphological changes in seeds. We also identify four endosperm-expressed transcripts that display imprinted (paternal) expression bias. The imprinted status of these four genes is conserved in other flowering plants, suggesting that they are functionally important in endosperm development. Our study explores gene regulatory dynamics in a species with cellular endosperm development, broadening the taxonomic focus of the literature on gene expression in seeds. Moreover, it is the first to validate genes with imprinted endosperm expression in , and will inform future studies on the genetic causes of seed failure in this model system.
雌配子体的双受精启动了种子中的胚胎发生和胚乳发育,激活了参与细胞分化、器官模式形成和生长的基因。在胚乳中表达的一部分基因表现出印记表达,并且亲本等位基因之间基因表达的正确平衡对于胚乳和种子的正常发育至关重要。我们使用转录时间序列分析来鉴定与种子发育关键转变相关的基因,包括与次生细胞壁合成、有丝分裂细胞周期、染色质组织、生长素合成、脂肪酸代谢和种子成熟相关的基因。我们将这些基因与种子的形态变化联系起来。我们还鉴定出四个在胚乳中表达的转录本,它们表现出印记(父本)表达偏向。这四个基因的印记状态在其他开花植物中是保守的,表明它们在胚乳发育中具有重要功能。我们的研究探索了具有细胞胚乳发育的物种中的基因调控动态,拓宽了关于种子中基因表达的文献的分类学重点。此外,这是首次在[具体物种]中验证具有胚乳印记表达的基因,并将为该模型系统中种子败育的遗传原因的未来研究提供信息。