title: Antheridiogen determines sex in ferns via a spatiotemporally split gibberellin synthesis pathway.
abstract: Some ferns possess the ability to control their sex ratio to maintain genetic variation in their colony with the aid of antheridiogen pheromones, antheridium (male organ)-inducing compounds that are related to gibberellin. We determined that ferns have evolved an antheridiogen-mediated communication system to produce males by modifying the gibberellin biosynthetic pathway, which is split between two individuals of different developmental stages in the colony. Antheridiogen acts as a bridge between them because it is more readily taken up by prothalli than bioactive gibberellin. The pathway initiates in early-maturing prothalli (gametophytes) within a colony, which produce antheridiogens and secrete them into the environment. After the secreted antheridiogen is absorbed by neighboring late-maturing prothalli, it is modified in to bioactive gibberellin to trigger male organ formation.
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Junmu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aya
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Ko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koketsu
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Reynante Lacsamana
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ordonio
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. mueguchi@nuagr1.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp makoto@nuagr1.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Miyako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueguchi-Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. mueguchi@nuagr1.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp makoto@nuagr1.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
mesh_terms: D029624:Ferns / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D056130:Gametogenesis, Plant; D015870:Gene Expression; D005875:Gibberellins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012744:Sex Ratio; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis
chemical_list: D005875:Gibberellins; D010675:Pheromones; C532593:gibberellin A4