Transcriptome analysis of seed development in apomictic Paspalum notatum.

FELITTI, S.A.; ACUÑA, C.A.; ORTIZ, J.P.A.; QUARIN, C.

ANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Wellesbourne; Año: 2015 vol. 167 p. 1 - 19

0003-4746

The seed developmental process involves various tissues with several ploidy levels and differentgenetic origins. Therefore, its characterization at the transcriptome level is certainly a challenge.The hypothesis of endosperm balance number (EBN) postulates that each species has an effectivenumber that is important for normal endosperm and seed development to occur. Understandingendosperm formation in apomictic plants is crucial for the perspective of transferring apomixis tosexual species of agronomic interest. Since sexual tetraploid Paspalum plants fit the EBN premise,the EBN insensitivity observed in apomictic plants might be a requirement for the spread ofpseudogamous apomixis. Crosses using several cytotypes of P. notatum were made in order toinduce the development of seeds with different maternal/paternal genomic ratios in the endosperm.A transcriptome characterization of ovaries 3 h after pollination was performed using cDNA-AFLP methodology. Fourty-six of the 100 differentially expressed transcript-derived fragments (DETDFs) were specifically found in crosses in which apomictic plants were used as the female parent and presented a predicted m:p ratio in the endosperm that was different to the 2:1 requirement of the EBN. Moreover, 12 of the DETDFs presented identity with proteins that were differentially expressed in response to changes in the levels of extracellular ATP (eATP) in Arabidopsis cell suspension cultures. eATP is an important molecular switch in plants that tightly controls organellar energy metabolism and activates gene expression controlling specific growth and developmental programs. The results suggest that eATP-mediated signaling could be involved in the regulation of endosperm development.