Dataset Information

BABY BOOM regulates early embryo and endosperm development.

ABSTRACT: The BABY BOOM (BBM) AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE (AIL) AP2/ERF domain transcription factor is a major regulator of plant cell totipotency, as it induces asexual embryo formation when ectopically expressed. Surprisingly, only limited information is available on the role of BBM during zygotic embryogenesis. Here we reexamined BBM expression and function in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) using reporter analysis and newly developed CRISPR mutants. BBM was expressed in the embryo from the zygote stage and also in the maternal (nucellus) and filial (endosperm) seed tissues. Analysis of CRISPR mutant alleles for BBM (bbm-cr) and the redundantly acting AIL gene PLETHORA2 (PLT2) (plt2-cr) uncovered individual roles for these genes in the timing of embryo progression. We also identified redundant roles for BBM and PLT2 in endosperm proliferation and cellularization and the maintenance of zygotic embryo development. Finally, we show that ectopic BBM expression in the egg cell of Arabidopsis and the dicot crops Brassica napus and Solanum lycopersicon is sufficient to bypass the fertilization requirement for embryo development. Together these results highlight roles for BBM and PLT2 in seed development and demonstrate the utility of BBM genes for engineering asexual embryo development in dicot species.

SUBMITTER: Chen B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9231476 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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BABY BOOM regulates early embryo and endosperm development.

Chen Baojian B Maas Lena L Figueiredo Duarte D Zhong Yu Y Reis Ricardo R Li Mengran M Horstman Anneke A Riksen Tjitske T Weemen Mieke M Liu Hang H Siemons Charlotte C Chen Shaojiang S Angenent Gerco C GC Boutilier Kim K

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20220616 25

The BABY BOOM (BBM) AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE (AIL) AP2/ERF domain transcription factor is a major regulator of plant cell totipotency, as it induces asexual embryo formation when ectopically expressed. Surprisingly, only limited information is available on the role of BBM during zygotic embryogenesis. Here we reexamined BBM expression and function in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) using reporter analysis and newly developed CRISPR mutants. BBM was ...[more]

PMID: 35709319

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Project description:A glucocorticoid-regulated BBM protein (35S:BBM-GR) was used in combination with microarray analysis to identify genes directly activated by BBM. We employed the system described by (Lloyd et al., 1994) in which dexamethasone (DEX) and cycloheximide (CHX) are applied together to respectively, induce nuclear localization of the BBM-GR protein and prevent translation of the primary targets mRNAs. In this way it is possible to identify direct targets of a transcriptional activator by comparing gene expression profiles between DEX+CHX-treated transgenic and wild-type tissues. The ability of the 35S:BBM GR construct to induce somatic embryogenesis in Arabidopsis seedlings was determined by phenotypic observation of 35S:BBM GR seeds germinated and grown in the presence of 10 ÂµM dexamethasone (DEX). As in 35S:BBM seedlings, we observed somatic embryo formation on the cotyledons, first leaves and shoot meristem of DEX-treated 35S:BBM GR seedlings. We identified a set of 20 genes (including BBM itself) and our analysis indicates that BBM directly activates a signaling pathway comprising transcription factors and other signaling molecules, but which does not initially include genes known to induce somatic embryogenesis, such as LEC1, LEC2 or WUS. The functions of the BBM target genes are unknown, however a number of them have recently been identified in microarray screens for meristem-expressed genes. The identification of BBM-interacting partners and downstream targets provides new tools for unraveling pathways related to plant cell growth and organogenesis. Keywords: transcriptional activation To identify candidate BBM targets, we treated 4 day old 35S:BBM-GR seedlings for 8 hours with 10 ÂµM DEX in the presence of 10 ÂµM CHX and compared the mRNA population from these seedlings using Arabidopsis Operon microarrays (http://www.ag.arizona.edu/microarray/) to that of 4 day old wild-type seedlings treated in the same way. The seed batches used in this analysis showed 100% EFS when grown continuously on media with 10 ÂµM DEX. Four day old seedlings were chosen as the experimental material because they are highly responsive to BBM GR activation and provide sufficient RNA for the microarray experiments. The biological reproducibility of the data was monitored using two independent single locus 35S:BBM GR lines. The technical reproducibility of the data was monitored using two independently DEX + CHX-treated samples from each transgenic line. Dye effects were monitored in a dye-swap experiment using one of the four RNA samples from the two biological replicates

Dataset Information

BABY BOOM regulates early embryo and endosperm development.

Publications

BABY BOOM regulates early embryo and endosperm development.

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