title: The SPOROCYTELESS gene of Arabidopsis is required for initiation of sporogenesis and encodes a novel nuclear protein.
abstract: The formation of haploid spores marks the initiation of the gametophytic phase of the life cycle of all vascular plants ranging from ferns to angiosperms. In angiosperms, this process is initiated by the differentiation of a subset of floral cells into sporocytes, which then undergo meiotic divisions to form microspores and megaspores. Currently, there is little information available regarding the genes and proteins that regulate this key step in plant reproduction. We report here the identification of a mutation, SPOROCYTELESS (SPL), which blocks sporocyte formation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Analysis of the SPL mutation suggests that development of the anther walls and the tapetum and microsporocyte formation are tightly coupled, and that nucellar development may be dependent on megasporocyte formation. Molecular cloning of the SPL gene showed that it encodes a novel nuclear protein related to MADS box transcription factors and that it is expressed during microsporogenesis and megasporogenesis. These data suggest that the SPL gene product is a transcriptional regulator of sporocyte development in Arabidopsis.
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Molecular Agrobiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117604.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sundaresan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D018744:DNA, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013170:Spores; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018744:DNA, Plant; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C416221:SPL protein, Arabidopsis; D014157:Transcription Factors