The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i>
The production of seeds without sex is considered the holy grail of plant biology. The transfer of apomixis to various crop species has the potential to transform plant breeding, since it will allow new varieties to retain valuable traits thorough asexual reproduction. Therefore, a greater molecular...
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MDPI AG
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Genes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/8/941 |
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| author | Gianpiero Marconi Domenico Aiello Bryan Kindiger Loriano Storchi Alessandro Marrone Lara Reale Niccolò Terzaroli Emidio Albertini |
| author_facet | Gianpiero Marconi Domenico Aiello Bryan Kindiger Loriano Storchi Alessandro Marrone Lara Reale Niccolò Terzaroli Emidio Albertini |
| author_sort | Gianpiero Marconi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The production of seeds without sex is considered the holy grail of plant biology. The transfer of apomixis to various crop species has the potential to transform plant breeding, since it will allow new varieties to retain valuable traits thorough asexual reproduction. Therefore, a greater molecular understanding of apomixis is fundamental. In a previous work we identified a gene, namely APOSTART, that seemed to be involved in this asexual mode of reproduction, which is very common in <i>Poa pratensis</i> L., and here we present a detailed work aimed at clarifying its role in apomixis. In situ hybridization showed that PpAPOSTART is expressed in reproductive tissues from pre-meiosis to embryo development. Interestingly, it is expressed early in few nucellar cells of apomictic individuals possibly switching from a somatic to a reproductive cell as in aposporic apomixis. Moreover, out of 13 APOSTART members, we identified one, APOSTART_6, as specifically expressed in flower tissue. APOSTART_6 also exhibited delayed expression in apomictic genotypes when compared with sexual types. Most importantly, the SCAR (Sequence Characterized Amplified Region) derived from the APOSTART_6 sequence completely co-segregated with apomixis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:24:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a2ff1d6997f409eade6c740a996b16e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:24:10Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genes |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a2ff1d6997f409eade6c740a996b16e2023-11-20T10:13:27ZengMDPI AGGenes2073-44252020-08-0111894110.3390/genes11080941The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i>Gianpiero Marconi0Domenico Aiello1Bryan Kindiger2Loriano Storchi3Alessandro Marrone4Lara Reale5Niccolò Terzaroli6Emidio Albertini7Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyUSDA-ARS, Grazinglands Research Laboratory, 7207 West Cheyenne St., El Reno, OK 73036, USADipartimento di Farmacia, Università G. d’Annunzio, via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, ItalyDipartimento di Farmacia, Università G. d’Annunzio, via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyThe production of seeds without sex is considered the holy grail of plant biology. The transfer of apomixis to various crop species has the potential to transform plant breeding, since it will allow new varieties to retain valuable traits thorough asexual reproduction. Therefore, a greater molecular understanding of apomixis is fundamental. In a previous work we identified a gene, namely APOSTART, that seemed to be involved in this asexual mode of reproduction, which is very common in <i>Poa pratensis</i> L., and here we present a detailed work aimed at clarifying its role in apomixis. In situ hybridization showed that PpAPOSTART is expressed in reproductive tissues from pre-meiosis to embryo development. Interestingly, it is expressed early in few nucellar cells of apomictic individuals possibly switching from a somatic to a reproductive cell as in aposporic apomixis. Moreover, out of 13 APOSTART members, we identified one, APOSTART_6, as specifically expressed in flower tissue. APOSTART_6 also exhibited delayed expression in apomictic genotypes when compared with sexual types. Most importantly, the SCAR (Sequence Characterized Amplified Region) derived from the APOSTART_6 sequence completely co-segregated with apomixis.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/8/941apomixisAPOSTARTplant reproduction<i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| spellingShingle | Gianpiero Marconi Domenico Aiello Bryan Kindiger Loriano Storchi Alessandro Marrone Lara Reale Niccolò Terzaroli Emidio Albertini The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i> Genes apomixis APOSTART plant reproduction <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| title | The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| title_full | The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| title_fullStr | The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| title_short | The Role of APOSTART in Switching between Sexuality and Apomixis in <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| title_sort | role of apostart in switching between sexuality and apomixis in i poa pratensis i |
| topic | apomixis APOSTART plant reproduction <i>Poa pratensis</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/8/941 |
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