Functional characterization of apomixis candidate genes in Arabidopsis

LEBLANC O; SIENA LA

Rosario

Congreso; IV International Congress on APOMIXIS; 2023

Grupo DREP-IICAR-CONICET

Paspalum notatum, a subtropical forage grass native to South America, has proved to be a fruitful model for the study of aposporous apomixis in plants. Recently, several genes have been identified through genetic mapping and comparative mRNA analyses, however only a few candidates are currently being analyzed. Using genetic and cellular approaches in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we have undertaken the functional characterization of two of them, TGS1 (TRIMETHYLGUANOSINE SYNTHASE1), a gene involved in the biogenesis of sn(o) RNAs, and; QGJ (QUI-GON JINN), a member of the YODA family. GUS reporter lines indicated that tgs1 and qgj express in opposite ways during ovule development. Depletion of both QGJ and TGS1 led to alterations affecting reproductive female development, in a manner reminiscent of aposporic apomixis. Our results indicate that both gene likely participate in the molecular mechanisms of canalization during female reproductive development in plants.