Gene expression prior to post-zygotic endosperm collapse in tetraploid bahiagrass.

POZZI, FLORENCIA I.; ACUÑA, C.A.; DEPETRIS, MARA B.; QUARIN, C.; FELITTI, SILVINA A.

SEED SCIENCE RESEARCH

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2020

0960-2585

The endosperm is the storage tissue of seeds and is an important source of nutrients for humans and animals. In previous works, the gene expression was characterized at 3 h and 24 h after pollination (AP). In those works, the results suggested that eATP would act as a signal molecule at the beginning of endosperm development and the sucrose metabolism could be related to EBN insensitivity. In addition, differential expressed transcripts derived fragments (DETDFs) were related to the failure of fusion of the polar nuclei and the accumulation of storage products in seeds of A. thaliana. The objective of this research was to identify genes related to the endosperm development in apomictic and sexual ovaries of P. notatum 48 h AP, a time in which development is prior to post-zygotic collapse. The cDNA-AFLP was carried out to analyze different crosses and DETDFs categorized according to their function. The main cellular functions at 48 h AP were metabolism and signal transduction. Fourteen out of 39 DETDFs with relevant functional information were found in crosses for which a normal endosperm development was expected. Three DETDFs were found in crosses where viable and unviable seeds were predicted and presented similarity with a casein kinase II (CK2), an enzyme that governs the accumulation of storage proteins in seeds of A. thaliana and Zea mays. The results obtained at 3 h, 24 h and 48 h AP suggest that CK2 is involved in early endosperm development in P. notatum.