Transcriptional repression distinguishes somatic from germ cell lineages in a plant.
In flowering plants, the male germline begins with an asymmetric division, after which one of the resulting cells, the generative cell, divides symmetrically to produce two sperm cells. We show here that the male germline is initiated by transcriptional control. We identify GRSF, germline-restrictive silencing factor, from the lily. GRSF is ubiquitous in nongerm cells and is absent from male germ cells. GRSF recognizes silencer sequences in promoters of genes specific to the germline, stably repressing these genes in cells that are not destined to become germ cells.
Haerizadeh
Farzad
F
Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, Faculty of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Singh
Mohan B
MB
Bhalla
Prem L
PL
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020868:Gene Silencing; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D027762:Lilium / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D037941:Silencer Elements, Transcriptional; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
C118126:LGC1 protein, Lilium longiflorum; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins