TY - JOUR
T1 - Mutations in FIE, a WD polycomb group gene, allow endosperm development without fertilization
AU - Ohad, Nir
AU - Yadegari, Ramin
AU - Margossian, Linda
AU - Hannon, Mike
AU - Michaeli, Daphna
AU - Harada, John J.
AU - Goldberg, Robert B.
AU - Fischer, Robert L.
PY - 1999/3
Y1 - 1999/3
N2 - A fundamental problem in biology is to understand how fertilization initiates reproductive development. Higher plant reproduction is unique because two fertilization events are required for sexual reproduction. First, a sperm must fuse with the egg to form an embryo. A second sperm must then fuse with the adjacent central cell nucleus that replicates to form an endosperm, which is the support tissue required for embryo and/or seedling development. Here, we report cloning of the Arabidopsis FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (FIE) gene. The FIE protein is a homolog of the WD motif-containing Polycomb proteins from Drosophila and mammals. These proteins function as repressers of homeotic genes. A female gametophyte with a loss-of-function allele of fie undergoes replication of the central cell nucleus and initiates endosperm development without fertilization. These results suggest that the FIE Polycomb protein functions to suppress a critical aspect of early plant reproduction, namely, endosperm development, until fertilization occurs.
AB - A fundamental problem in biology is to understand how fertilization initiates reproductive development. Higher plant reproduction is unique because two fertilization events are required for sexual reproduction. First, a sperm must fuse with the egg to form an embryo. A second sperm must then fuse with the adjacent central cell nucleus that replicates to form an endosperm, which is the support tissue required for embryo and/or seedling development. Here, we report cloning of the Arabidopsis FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (FIE) gene. The FIE protein is a homolog of the WD motif-containing Polycomb proteins from Drosophila and mammals. These proteins function as repressers of homeotic genes. A female gametophyte with a loss-of-function allele of fie undergoes replication of the central cell nucleus and initiates endosperm development without fertilization. These results suggest that the FIE Polycomb protein functions to suppress a critical aspect of early plant reproduction, namely, endosperm development, until fertilization occurs.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033101666&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1105/tpc.11.3.407
DO - 10.1105/tpc.11.3.407
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
AN - SCOPUS:0033101666
SN - 1040-4651
VL - 11
SP - 407
EP - 415
JO - Plant Cell
JF - Plant Cell
IS - 3
ER -