Endosperm and Maternal-specific expression of EIN2 in the endosperm affects endosperm cellularization and seed size in Arabidopsis.

ABSTRACT: Seed size is related to plant evolution and crop yield and is affected by genetic mutations, imprinting, and genome dosage. Imprinting is a widespread epigenetic phenomenon in mammals and flowering plants. ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE2 (EIN2) encodes a membrane protein that links the ethylene perception to transcriptional regulation. Interestingly, during seed development EIN2 is maternally expressed in Arabidopsis and maize, but the role of EIN2 in seed development is unknown. Here, we show that EIN2 is expressed specifically in the endosperm, and the maternal-specific EIN2 expression affects temporal regulation of endosperm cellularization. As a result, seed size increases in the genetic cross using the ein2 mutant as the maternal parent or in the ein2 mutant. The maternal-specific expression of

SUBMITTER: Ando A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9910398 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature