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Transition from two to one integument in Prunus species: expression pattern of INNER NO OUTER ( INO ), ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE ( ATS ) and ETTIN ( ETT )
Author(s) -
Lora Jorge,
Hormaza José I.,
Herrero Maria
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.13460
Subject(s) - integument , ovule , biology , botany , arabidopsis thaliana , prunus , gene , genetics , mutant , pollen
Summary While gymnosperm ovules have one integument, in most angiosperms two integuments surround the ovules. Unitegmic ovules have arisen independently several times during the evolution of angiosperms, but the ultimate genetic cause of the presence of a single integument remains elusive. We compared species of the genus Prunus that have different numbers of integuments: bitegmic species, such as Prunus armeniaca (apricot) and Prunus persica (peach), and unitegmic species, such as Prunus incisa , analyzing the expression pattern of genes that are involved in integument development in Arabidopsis thaliana : INNER NO OUTER ( INO ), ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE ( ATS ) and ETTIN ( ETT ). Bitegmic and unitegmic species showed similar INO expression patterns, indicative of the conservation of an outer integument. However, expression of ETT , which occurs in the boundary of the outer and inner integuments, was altered in unitegmic ovules, which showed lack of ETT expression. These results strongly suggest that the presence of a single integument could be attributable to the amalgamation of two integuments and support the role of ETT in the fusion of the outer and inner integuments in unitegmic ovules, a situation that could be widespread in other unitegmic species of angiosperms.