Cloning plants by seeds: Inheritance models and candidate genes to increase fundamental knowledge for engineering apomixis in sexual crops

Pupilli, Fulvio; Barcaccia, Gianni

doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.08.028

Cited by 56 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 187 publications

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“…Genetic analysis in several species has consistently demonstrated that a simple inheritance system involving a few Mendelian genes controls the expression of apomixis or its components. In contrast, molecular and cytogenetic analyses of chromosomal region(s) carrying the determinants of apomixis in several species have revealed a complex genetic control mechanism that is likely based on a system of polygenes in addition to mechanisms involving a lack of recombination, trans-acting elements for gamete elimination, supernumerary chromatin structures, and DNA rearrangements (see a review by Pupilli and Barcaccia 2012 and references therein).…”

Section: Inheritance Of Apomixis: Genetic Control and Recombination Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some species, linkage groups typically transmitted with apomixis contain large blocks of sequence that lack genetic recombination between molecular markers, leading to speculation that adapted gene complexes within supernumerary chromatin might be required for the expression of apomixis (Ozias-Akins et al 1998; Roche et al 2001; Akiyama et al 2004). A close relationship between apomictic mechanisms and heterochromatic regions of the genome that are rich in retrotransposons has raised the intriguing possibility that DNA structure and/or RNA interference could play a role in regulating the expression of apomixis-related genes (Pupilli and Barcaccia 2012). A well-characterized class of small regulatory RNAs that are widespread in eukaryotes appears to regulate gamete function and fertilization in plants by altering gene expression through post-transcriptional gene silencing, translational inhibition, and heterochromatin modification (Ron et al 2010).…”

Section: Inheritance Of Apomixis: Genetic Control and Recombination Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). The impact of apomictic crops in agriculture would be comparable to, or even greater than, the impact of the Green Revolution, especially in Third World countries (Vielle-Calzada et al 1996; Pupilli and Barcaccia 2012). In fact, it has been estimated that the use of apomixis technology in the production of hybrid rice alone could provide benefits exceeding 1,800 million Euros per year (Spillane et al 2004; Albertini et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, apomixis results in offspring that are exact genetic replices of the female parent because embryos are derived from the parthenogenic development of apomeiotic egg cells (for reviews on apomixis, see Bicknell and Koltunow 2004; Ozias-Akins 2006; Albertini et al 2010; Pupilli and Barcaccia 2012; Koltunow et al 2013). From an evolutionary point of view, apomixis may be regarded as a consequence of sexual failure rather than as a recipe for clonal success (Silvertown 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Apomixis in plant reproduction: a novel perspective on an old dilemma

2013

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Seed is one of the key factors of crop productivity. Therefore, a comprehension of the mechanisms underlying seed formation in cultivated plants is crucial for the quantitative and qualitative progress of agricultural production. In angiosperms, two pathways of reproduction through seed exist: sexual or amphimictic, and asexual or apomictic; the former is largely exploited by seed companies for breeding new varieties, whereas the latter is receiving continuously increasing attention from both scientific and industrial sectors in basic research projects. If apomixis is engineered into sexual crops in a controlled manner, its impact on agriculture will be broad and profound. In fact, apomixis will allow clonal seed production and thus enable efficient and consistent yields of high-quality seeds, fruits, and vegetables at lower costs. The development of apomixis technology is expected to have a revolutionary impact on agricultural and food production by reducing cost and breeding time, and avoiding the complications that are typical of sexual reproduction (e.g., incompatibility barriers) and vegetative propagation (e.g., viral transfer). However, the development of apomixis technology in agriculture requires a deeper knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate reproductive development in plants. This knowledge is a necessary prerequisite to understanding the genetic control of the apomictic process and its deviations from the sexual process. Our molecular understanding of apomixis will be greatly advanced when genes that are specifically or differentially expressed during embryo and embryo sac formation are discovered. In our review, we report the main findings on this subject by examining two approaches: i) analysis of the apomictic process in natural apomictic species to search for genes controlling apomixis and ii) analysis of gene mutations resembling apomixis or its components in species that normally reproduce sexually. In fact, our opinion is that a novel perspective on this old dilemma pertaining to the molecular control of apomixis can emerge from a cross-check among candidate genes in natural apomicts and a high-throughput analysis of sexual mutants.

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Section: Inheritance Of Apomixis: Genetic Control and Recombination Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Inheritance Of Apomixis: Genetic Control and Recombination Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Apomixis in plant reproduction: a novel perspective on an old dilemma

2013

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“…The Antennaria type has a wider taxonomic distribution in which there are no traces of meiosis, with the EMC's enlarging and then giving rise to eight-nucleate embryo sacs by purely somatic division (Asker and Jerling 1992). This represents a form of apomeiosis that fully guarantees the fixation of the maternal genome (Pupilli and Barcaccia 2012). Until now, diplospory has been observed in genera including Agropyron, Allium, Antennaria, Boechera, Datura, Eragrostis, Eupatorium, Ixeris, Parthenium, Paspalum, Poa, Taraxacum, and Tripsacum (Barcaccia and Albertini 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embryological and genetic evidence of amphimixis and apomixis in Boehmeria tricuspis

et al. 2016

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Apomixis is a widespread alternative mode of sexual reproduction resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the maternal plant. Boehmeria tricuspis (Hance) Makino is a perennial, wind-pollinated, herbaceous plant in the nettle family Urticaceae. The diploid B. tricuspis is monoecious but the triploid B. tricuspis is gynoecious, bearing female inflorescences only. Apomixis in B. tricuspis was first reported 50 years ago, but the mode of apomixis in the species has not been described yet. Here, we provide embryological observations of the embryo sac formation proving that triploid B. tricuspis reproduced apomictically following the Antennaria type of diplospory, and that the diploid individuals were the sexual genotype with the classical Polygonum-type maturation pattern of embryo sac development. A subsequent flow cytometry seed screen (FCSS) showed that the triploids were obligate apomicts with autonomous endosperm development, and the diploids reproduced sexually. In addition, a progeny test by molecular marker assays further demonstrated the above results.

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Orgenic plants: Gene‐manipulated plants compatible with organic farming

Ryffel

2012

Biotechnology Journal

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Based on recent advances in plant gene technology, I propose to develop a new category of GM plants, orgenic plants, that are compatible with organic farming. These orgenic plants do not contain herbicide resistance genes to avoid herbicide application in agriculture. Furthermore, they either contain genes that are naturally exchanged between species, or are sterile to avoid outcrossing if they received a transgene from a different species. These GM plants are likely to be acceptable to most skeptics of GM plants and facilitate the use of innovative new crops.

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Cloning plants by seeds: Inheritance models and candidate genes to increase fundamental knowledge for engineering apomixis in sexual crops

Cited by 56 publications

References 187 publications

Apomixis in plant reproduction: a novel perspective on an old dilemma

Apomixis in plant reproduction: a novel perspective on an old dilemma

Embryological and genetic evidence of amphimixis and apomixis in Boehmeria tricuspis

Orgenic plants: Gene‐manipulated plants compatible with organic farming

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