DC1 domain proteins involved in female gametophyte development and defense response in A. thaliana

PAGNUSSAT GC, CASALONGUÉ CA & FIOL DF

San Luis

Congreso; XLVII Congreso de la Sociedad Argentina de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2011

SAIBBM

Disease resistance and reproductive development are two major aspects of the plant life cycle. Although these processes have been traditionally considered as independent and regulated by different groups of genes, new findings have linked defense related proteins to different aspects of plant development. In this work, we identified two genes containing a DC1 domain, named AtDC1 and AtDC2, whose expression showed to be highly upregulated upon microbial elicitors and biotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Analysis of mutant plants carrying insertions in AtDC1 and AtDC2 genes revealed that the expression of these genes is required for normal female gametophyte development. In these gametophytic mutants, embryo sac development is arrested at FG1 stage, showing a putative functional megaspore that does not undergo mitosis. Altogether, our results suggest that AtDC1 and AtDC2 might have dual roles participating both in female gametophyte development and in defense response to biotic stresses in A. thaliana.