The molecular mechanism of sporocyteless/nozzle in controlling Arabidopsis ovule development.
Ovules are essential for plant reproduction and develop into seeds after fertilization. Sporocyteless/nozzle (SPL/NZZ) has been known for more than 15 years as an essential factor for ovule development in Arabidopsis, but the biochemical nature of SPL function has remained unsolved. Here, we demonstrate that SPL functions as an adaptor-like transcriptional repressor. We show that SPL recruits topless/topless-related (TPL/TPR) co-repressors to inhibit the Cincinnata (CIN)-like Teosinte branched1/cycloidea/PCF (TCP) transcription factors. We reveal that SPL uses its EAR motif at the C-terminal end to recruit TPL/TPRs and its N-terminal part to bind and inhibit the TCPs. We demonstrate that either disruption of TPL/TPRs or overexpression of TCPs partially phenocopies the defects of megasporogenesis in spl. Moreover, disruption of TCPs causes phenotypes that resemble spl-D gain-of-function mutants. These results define the action mechanism for SPL, which along with TPL/TPRs controls ovule development by repressing the activities of key transcription factors. Our findings suggest that a similar gene repression strategy is employed by both plants and fungi to control sporogenesis.
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Baoye
B
Wei
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Jinzhe
J
Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Changxu
C
Pang
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Hao
H
Yu
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Dongshu
D
Guo
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Hao
H
Jiang
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Mingxin
M
Ding
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Zhuoyao
Z
Chen
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Qing
Q
Tao
1] State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China [2] The National Plant Gene Research Center (Beijing), Beijing 100101, China.
Hongya
H
Gu
1] State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China [2] The National Plant Gene Research Center (Beijing), Beijing 100101, China [3] Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Li-Jia
LJ
Qu
State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Genji
G
Qin
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D028861:Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D056771:Ovule / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D028861:Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C416221:SPL protein, Arabidopsis; C524167:TPR protein, Arabidopsis; C511291:At1g15750 protein, Arabidopsis