Transcriptome analyses uncover reliance of endosperm gene expression on Arabidopsis embryonic development

Abstract

Endosperm–embryo development in flowering plants is regulated coordinately by signal exchange during seed development. However, such a reciprocal control mechanism has not been clearly identified. In this study, we identified an endosperm‐specific gene, LBD35, expressed in an embryonic development‐dependent manner, by a comparative transcriptome and cytological analyses of double‐fertilized and single‐fertilized seeds prepared by using the kokopelli mutant, which frequently induces single fertilization events. Transcriptome analysis using LBD35 as a marker of the central cell fertilization event identified that 141 genes, including 31 genes for small cysteine‐rich peptides, are expressed in a double fertilization‐dependent manner. Our results reveal possible embryonic signals that regulate endosperm gene expression and provide a practicable method to identify genes involved in the communication during endosperm–embryo development.