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A cis ‐acting bidirectional transcription switch controls sexual dimorphism in the liverwort
Author(s) -
Hisanaga Tetsuya,
Okahashi Keitaro,
Yamaoka Shohei,
Kajiwara Tomoaki,
Nishihama Ryuichi,
Shimamura Masaki,
Yamato Katsuyuki T,
Bowman John L,
Kohchi Takayuki,
Nakajima Keiji
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.15252/embj.2018100240
Subject(s) - biology , sexual dimorphism , transcription (linguistics) , transcription factor , genetics , evolutionary biology , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , zoology , philosophy , linguistics
Plant life cycles alternate between haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes. While regulatory factors determining male and female sexual morphologies have been identified for sporophytic reproductive organs, such as stamens and pistils of angiosperms, those regulating sex‐specific traits in the haploid gametophytes that produce male and female gametes and hence are central to plant sexual reproduction are poorly understood. Here, we identified a MYB ‐type transcription factor, Mp FGMYB , as a key regulator of female sexual differentiation in the haploid‐dominant dioicous liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha . Mp FGMYB is specifically expressed in females and its loss resulted in female‐to‐male sex conversion. Strikingly, Mp FGMYB expression is suppressed in males by a cis ‐acting antisense gene SUF at the same locus, and loss‐of‐function suf mutations resulted in male‐to‐female sex conversion. Thus, the bidirectional transcription module at the Mp FGMYB / SUF locus acts as a toggle between female and male sexual differentiation in M. polymorpha gametophytes. Arabidopsis thaliana Mp FGMYB orthologs are known to be expressed in embryo sacs and promote their development. Thus, phylogenetically related MYB transcription factors regulate female gametophyte development across land plants.