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Auxin production couples endosperm development to fertilization

Nature Plants volume 1, Article number: 15184 (2015) Cite this article

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Abstract

In flowering plants, seed development is preceded by a double fertilization event, whereby two male sperm cells fuse with two female gametes: the egg and central cells. The fertilized egg cell will form the embryo, and the fertilized central cell will give rise to the triploid endosperm, whose function is to nourish and support the embryo. Even though the endosperm has an unparalleled role for human nutrition, the molecular bases for its development are yet to be understood. Our results reveal that increasing auxin levels after fertilization drive the replication of the central cell in Arabidopsis thaliana. Auxin is sufficient to trigger central cell division and is necessary for correct endosperm development, a process dependent on the MADS-box transcription factor AGL62 (AGAMOUS-LIKE 62). We propose that the epigenetic regulators of the Polycomb group (PcG) family block central cell division before fertilization by repressing the expression of auxin biosynthesis genes in the female gametophyte.

In angiosperms, male and female gametophytes develop within the sporophytic tissues of the parental plants. Following pollination, the pollen grain (male gametophyte) grows through the female reproductive tissues until it reaches the embryo sac (female gametophyte), which is enclosed by the sporophytic integuments, forming the female ovule. On reaching the ovule, the pollen tube releases two sperm cells that will take part in a double fertilization event. One of the sperm cells fuses with the female egg cell, giving rise to the embryo, and the second sperm cell fuses with the homodiploid central cell nucleus, resulting in the development of the triploid endosperm. The major role of the endosperm is to ensure nutrient transfer between the mother tissues and the embryo, and its timely and correct development is strictly necessary for the establishment of a viable seed1,2. In Arabidopsis, the endosperm is an ephemeral tissue that is consumed as the embryo develops, but in other species, such as in cereal crops, the endosperm remains a major part of the mature seed3, which is of paramount importance for human nutrition.

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Figure 1: Auxin is produced post-fertilization in the endosperm of Arabidopsis.
Figure 2: Auxin-related mutants show endosperm defects.
Figure 3: Auxin induces autonomous endosperm development.
Figure 4: fis-class mutant ovules produce auxin ectopically.
Figure 5: AGL62 is required for autonomous endosperm development.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to D. Weijers for providing the R2D2 system and DR5v2 reporter before publication, and to H. Robert and J. Friml for providing the YUC10 reporter. This research was supported by a European Research Council Starting Independent Researcher grant (to C.K.), a grant from the Swedish Science Foundation (to C.K.) and a grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (to C.K.).

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  1. Pawel J. Roszak

    Present address: †Present address: The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center of Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden

    Duarte D. Figueiredo, Rita A. Batista, Pawel J. Roszak & Claudia Köhler

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  1. Duarte D. Figueiredo
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  2. Rita A. Batista
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Contributions

D.D.F., R.A.B. and P.J.R. carried out the experimental procedures. D.D.F., R.A.B., P.J.R. and C.K. performed the experimental design. D.D.F. and C.K. wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Claudia Köhler.

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Figueiredo, D., Batista, R., Roszak, P. et al. Auxin production couples endosperm development to fertilization. Nature Plants 1, 15184 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.184

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