Maternal Effects in Plants

Roach, Deborah A.; Wulff, Renata D.

doi:10.1146/annurev.es.18.110187.001233

Cited by 1,292 publications

(342 citation statements)

References 151 publications

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“…Experiments in which wildtype and ap2 mutant genotypes were crossed reciprocally (Table 3) provided an important clue about the mechanisms controlling seed mass by showing that AP2 acts through the maternal genome. Consistent with this finding are analyses of reciprocal crosses in several crop species showing that seed mass is often influenced by the genotype of the maternal plant (41). One interpretation of our result is that AP2 activity in maternal tissues, potentially including the seed coat, is more important than its activity in the embryo and endosperm in controlling seed mass.…”

Section: Ap2 Controls Embryo Cell Number and Sizesupporting

confidence: 88%

Control of seed mass byAPETALA2

Ohto

Fischer

Goldberg

et al. 2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

362

368

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Arabidopsis APETALA2 (AP2) encodes a member of the AP2͞EREBP (ethylene responsive element binding protein) class of transcription factors and is involved in the specification of floral organ identity, establishment of floral meristem identity, suppression of floral meristem indeterminancy, and development of the ovule and seed coat. Here, we show that loss-of-function ap2 mutations cause an increase in seed mass relative to that of wild-type seeds. Analysis of an allelic series of ap2 mutations showed that increases in seed mass corresponded with the severity of defects in flower structure, indicating that AP2 activity directly influences seed mass. Experiments with male-sterile plants and deflowered wild-type plants showed that reduced fertility of ap2 mutant plants due to abnormal flower structure accounted for only part of the increase in seed mass caused by strong ap2 mutant alleles. Reciprocal cross experiments showed that AP2 acts maternally to control seed mass. The maternal effect of AP2 on seed mass involves the regulation of both embryo cell number and cell size. We show further that ap2 mutations cause changes in the ratio of hexose to sucrose during seed development, opening the possibility that AP2 may control seed mass through its effects on sugar metabolism. Together, these results identify a role for AP2 in controlling seed mass.ap2 ͉ Arabidopsis ͉ seed size ͉ sugar metabolism S eeds of higher plants consist of three major components, each with a different genotype. The embryo that develops into the vegetative plant is diploid with a zygotic complement of genomes contributed by its parents. The endosperm, a tissue system that serves a nutritive role for the developing embryo and͞or germinating seedling, is triploid with two and one genome equivalents, respectively, contributed by the maternal and paternal parent. By contrast, the seed coat that surrounds the embryo and endosperm is strictly of maternal origin. Growth and development of the embryo, endosperm, and seed coat must be coordinated to produce the mature seed. Although seeds have been studied extensively, many aspects of seed development are not well understood, including the mechanisms that underlie seed size or mass.A critical factor in determining plant fitness is seed mass. Seed mass is negatively correlated with the number of seeds produced and positively correlated with seedling survival (1-5). Smallseeded plants are considered to be efficient colonizers because they produce large numbers of seeds, whereas seedlings of large-seeded plants are thought to more effectively withstand resource restrictions and abiotic stresses. Moreover, seed mass can vary intraspecifically in response to environmental cues, although little is known of the specific regulatory processes involved.Several factors that influence seed mass have been identified. For example, quantitative trait loci (QTL) that influence seed mass have been mapped in a number of crop plants (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)). An analysis of genetic factors affecting Arabidopsis seed mas...

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Section: Ap2 Controls Embryo Cell Number and Sizesupporting

confidence: 88%

Control of seed mass byAPETALA2

Ohto

Fischer

Goldberg

et al. 2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

362

368

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“…Maternal effects can be broadly divided into genetic and environmental effects (reviewed in Roach and Wulff, 1987). Environmental factors such as temperature, photoperiod, carbon dioxide, light quality, water availability or nutrient levels experienced by the mother plants can affect germination, survival and performance of the resulting seeds (reviewed in Baskin and Baskin, 1998).…”

Section: Offspring Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizas on reproductive traits in sexually dimorphic plants: a review

Varga¹

2013

Span. j. agric. res.

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Most plant species grow in association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in their roots forming arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. The positive effects of this type of symbiosis on plant's performance are well known and established. However, relatively little is known about how AM symbiosis affects plant reproduction, even though reproduction is probably the most important component of life history. This review begins with a summary of the existing data on plants with monomorphic breeding systems, as most of the research has been performed using hermaphroditic and monoecious plants. Later, the limited number of studies examining mycorrhizal effects on plants with dimorphic breeding systems is detailed. Finally, several key areas for future investigations are highlighted. These include examination of the incidence of sex-specific interactions in other plant species with dimorphic systems, the influence of AM symbiosis in seed germination and establishment in plants with different gender, or the study of the mechanisms behind the AM effects seen on plant reproduction. Evidence suggests that AM symbioses are beneficial for plants with monomorphic and dimorphic breeding systems, as AM symbioses improve both sexual and asexual reproduction. However, the effects observed strongly depend on both the plant and the AM fungus species involved. Plant interactions with AM fungi and the outcome of these interactions may further depend on the gender of the host: sex-specific patterns of root colonization and sex-specific benefits from AM symbioses have been reported in several plant species. However, the incidence and the importance of sex-specific relationships between AM fungi and plants are still largely unexplored.Additional key words: clonal growth, plant sexual dimorphism, plant-fungus interactions, sex-specific interactions, sexual reproduction. Resumen Revisión. Efecto de las micorrizas arbusculares en las características reproductivas de las plantas con dimorfismo sexualLa mayoría de plantas crecen en asociación con hongos micorrícicos arbusculares en sus raíces formando micorrizas arbusculares (MA). Los efectos positivos de este tipo de simbiosis para el desarrollo de plantas son bien reconocidos. Poco se sabe de los efectos de las MA sobre la reproducción; aunque sea probablemente el rasgo más importante de la estrategia vital de una planta. Esta revisión detalla los datos disponibles sobre los efectos de las MA en la reproducción de plantas con sistemas de reproducción monomórficos y dimórficos. Se presentan los datos existentes sobre los efectos en la reproducción en plantas con sistemas de reproducción monomórficos, dado que la mayoría de los estudios se han efectuado sobre plantas hermafroditas y monoicas; se detallan los estudios que examinan los efectos de las MA en plantas con sistemas de reproducción dimórf icos; y se proporcionan líneas de investigación futuras. Los datos sugieren que las MA son mayoritariamente beneficiosas tanto para plantas con sistemas monomórficos cómo dimórficos, ya que m...

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“…Notable indirect genetic effects were (see Wolf et al 2002). observed in many taxa, such as mice (Falconer 1965; The presence of indirect genetic effects means that Hager and Johnstone 2003), fish (Reznick 1991), the phenotypic effect of a gene in an individual relies plants (Roach and Wulff 1987), and insects (Mouson the genes possessed by its social partners. Perhaps the seau and Dingle 1991; Agrawal et al 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Interactions From the Maternal and Offspring Genomes

Cui

Casella

2004

Genetics

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The expression of most developmental or behavioral traits involves complex interactions between quantitative trait loci (QTL) from the maternal and offspring genomes. The maternal-offspring interactions play a pivotal role in shaping the direction and rate of evolution in terms of their substantial contribution to quantitative genetic (co)variation. To study the genetics and evolution of maternal-offspring interactions, a unifying statistical framework that embraces both the direct and indirect genetic effects of maternal and offspring QTL on any complex trait is developed. This model is derived for a simple backcross design within the maximum-likelihood context, implemented with the EM algorithm. Results from extensive simulations suggest that this model can provide reasonable estimation of additive and dominant effects of the QTL at different generations and their interaction effects derived from the maternal and offspring genomes. Although our model is framed to characterize the actions and interactions of maternal and offspring QTL affecting offspring traits, the idea can be readily extended to decipher the genetic machinery of maternal traits, such as maternal care. Our model provides a powerful means for studying the evolutionary significance of indirect genetic effects in any sexually reproductive organisms.

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Maternal Effects in Plants

Cited by 1,292 publications

References 151 publications

Control of seed mass byAPETALA2

Control of seed mass byAPETALA2

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizas on reproductive traits in sexually dimorphic plants: a review

Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Interactions From the Maternal and Offspring Genomes

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