A paternal signal induces endosperm proliferation upon fertilization in Arabidopsis

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Simonini, Sara; Bencivenga, Stefano; Grossniklaus, Ueli
• 署名单位: University of Zurich; University of Zurich
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-12887
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adj4996
• 发表日期: 2024-02-09
• 页码: 646-653
• 关键词: cell-cycle; retinoblastoma protein; female gametophyte; zygote development; licensing factor; dna-replication; rna-seq; phase; rb; localization

摘要

In multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction relies on the formation of highly differentiated cells, the gametes, which await fertilization in a quiescent state. Upon fertilization, the cell cycle resumes. Successful development requires that male and female gametes are in the same phase of the cell cycle. The molecular mechanisms that reinstate cell division in a fertilization-dependent manner are poorly understood in both animals and plants. Using Arabidopsis, we show that a sperm-derived signal induces the proliferation of a female gamete, the central cell, precisely upon fertilization. The central cell is arrested in S phase by the activity of the RETINOBLASTOMA RELATED1 (RBR1) protein. Upon fertilization, delivery of the core cell cycle component CYCD7;1 causes RBR1 degradation and thus S phase progression, ensuring the formation of functional endosperm and, consequently, viable seeds.