Does the Maternal Genome Influence Seedling Protein Biochemistry During Plant Embryogenesis?

 

Charlene F. Blando-Hoegler & Carl S Hoegler

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2016, Volume 37

Poster file:

Abstract

Much data has been published on the importance of maternal RNA transcripts on early embryogenesis in animals. However, parallel studies on plants have been lacking. We previously compared protein banding in seed and seedlings of two plant families (Brassicaceae and Fabaceae). The purpose of the study is to determine whether proteins expressed during seedling embryogenesis in these families were the product of maternal transcripts. As in animals, the cytoplasm of the megagametocyte (female gamete) in plants could be expected to provide RNA transcripts needed to synthesize proteins that could facilitate early embryogenesis; this has been suggested in Brassica napa (Wu et al., 2005) and Oryza sativa (Zhu et al., 1980). Plant seedlings will be treated with the transcription inhibitor actinomycin-D to determine whether there might exist long-lived templates critical to early embryogenesis in plants; a protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide will also be used to complement our studies. It is our hope that such studies will encourage undergraduate and college professors to consider using plants models as biochemical tools to investigate developing systems. This exercise provides some insights into the lingering influence of maternal genome on early embryogenesis.

Keywords:  developmental biology, seedling protein, maternal zygotic transition

Boston University (2015)