An Arabidopsis aspartic protease functions as an anti-cell-death component in reproduction and embryogenesis

Xiaochun Ge, Charles Dietrich, Michiyo Matsuno, Guojing Li, Howard Berg, Yiji Xia*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

123 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The components and pathways that regulate and execute developmental cell death programmes in plants remain largely unknown. We have found that the PROMOTION OF CELL SURVIVAL 1 (PCS1) gene in Arabidopsis, which encodes an aspartic protease, has an important role in determining the fate of cells in embryonic development and in reproduction processes. The loss-of-function mutation of PCS1 causes degeneration of both male and female gametophytes and excessive cell death of developing embryos. Conversely, ectopic expression of PCS1 causes the septum and stomium cells that normally die in the anther wall to survive instead, leading to a failure in anther dehiscence and male sterility. PCS1 provides a new avenue for understanding the mechanisms of the programmed cell death processes that are associated with developmental pathways in plants and makes available a useful tool for engineering the male sterility trait for hybrid seed production.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)282-288
Number of pages7
JournalEMBO Reports
Volume6
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2005

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'An Arabidopsis aspartic protease functions as an anti-cell-death component in reproduction and embryogenesis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this