title: DEMETER, a DNA glycosylase domain protein, is required for endosperm gene imprinting and seed viability in arabidopsis.
abstract: We isolated mutations in Arabidopsis to understand how the female gametophyte controls embryo and endosperm development. For the DEMETER (DME) gene, seed viability depends only on the maternal allele. DME encodes a large protein with DNA glycosylase and nuclear localization domains. DME is expressed primarily in the central cell of the female gametophyte, the progenitor of the endosperm. DME is required for maternal allele expression of the imprinted MEDEA (MEA) Polycomb gene in the central cell and endosperm. Ectopic DME expression in endosperm activates expression of the normally silenced paternal MEA allele. In leaf, ectopic DME expression induces MEA and nicks the MEA promoter. Thus, a DNA glycosylase activates maternal expression of an imprinted gene in the central cell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Yeonhee
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gehring
authors.forename: Lianna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D045647:DNA Glycosylases; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018392:Genomic Imprinting; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C111712:MEA protein, Arabidopsis; D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant; D015534:Trans-Activators; C463261:DEMETER protein, Arabidopsis; D045647:DNA Glycosylases; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases