title: Arabidopsis seed mucilage secretory cells: regulation and dynamics.
abstract: Seeds from various angiosperm species produce polysaccharide mucilage facilitating germination and, therefore, conferring major evolutionary advantages. The seed epidermal mucilage secretory cells (MSCs) undergo numerous tightly controlled changes of their extracellular matrixes (ECMs) throughout seed development. Recently, major progress based on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana was published, including the identification of 54 genes necessary for mucilage synthesis and release. Here, we review these genes that constitute the so-called 'MSC toolbox', within which transcription factors and proteins related to polysaccharide production, secretion, modification, and stabilization are the most abundant and belong to complex regulatory networks. We also discuss how seed coat 'omics data-mining, comparative genomics, and operon-like gene cluster studies will provide means to identify new members of the MSC toolbox.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, UMR 5546, Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; CNRS, UMR 5546, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France.
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Francoz
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, UMR 5546, Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; CNRS, UMR 5546, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ranocha
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, UMR 5546, Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; CNRS, UMR 5546, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France. Electronic address: burlat@lrsv.ups-tlse.fr.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burlat
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, UMR 5546, Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France; CNRS, UMR 5546, BP 42617, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France. Electronic address: dunand@lrsv.ups-tlse.fr.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunand
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D011134:Polysaccharides
keywords: Arabidopsis; cell wall dynamics; co-expression networks; pectins; polysaccharides; seed mucilage secretory cells