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Publications (87)
The bHLH transcription factor SPATULA (SPT) has been identified as a regulator during different stages of Arabidopsis development, including the control of leaf size. However, the mechanism via which it performs this function has not been elucidated. To better understand the role of SPT during leaf development, we used a transcriptomic approach to...
Evolution has long been considered to be a conservative process in which new genes arise from pre-existing genes through gene duplication, domain shuffling, horizontal transfer, overprinting, retrotransposition, etc.. However, this view is changing as new genes originating from non-genic sequences are discovered in different organisms. Still, rathe...
Flowers are composed of organs whose identity is defined by the combinatorial activity of transcription factors (TFs). The interactions between MADS-box TFs and protein complex formation have been schematized in the floral quartet model of flower development. The gynoecium is the flower’s female reproductive part, crucial for fruit and seed product...
The WIP family of transcription factors comprises the A1d subgroup of C2H2 zinc finger proteins. This family has six members in Arabidopsis thaliana and most of the known functions have been described by analyzing single knockout mutants. However, it has been shown that WIP2 and its closest paralogs WIP4 and WIP5 have a redundant and essential func...
Plants produce a myriad of metabolites. Some of them have been regarded for a long time as secondary or specialized metabolites and are considered to have functions mostly in defense and the adaptation of plants to their environment. However, in the last years, new research has shown that these metabolites can also have roles in the regulation of p...
Abstract: Transcription factors are important regulators of gene expression. They can orchestrate the activation or repression of hundreds or thousands of genes and control diverse processes in a coordinated way. This work explores the effect of a master regulator of plant development, BOLITA (BOL), in plant metabolism, with a special focus on spec...
The gynoecium is the most complex organ formed by the flowering plants. It encloses the ovules, provides a surface for pollen contact and self-incompatibility reactions, allows pollen tube growth, and, post fertilization, develops into the fruit. Consequently, the regulation of gynoecium morphogenesis is complex and appropriate timing of this proce...
The phytohormone cytokinin is crucial for plant growth and development. The site of action of cytokinin in the plant is dependent on the expression of the cytokinin receptors. In Arabidopsis, there are three cytokinin receptors that present some overlap in expression pattern. Functional studies demonstrated that the receptors play highly redundant...
Background: Alkamides are plant-specific bioactive molecules. They are low molecular weight N-substituted a-unsaturated acyl amides that display biological explicit activities in different organisms from bacteria, fungi, insects to mammals and plants. The acyl chain has been proposed to be biosynthesized from a fatty acid; however, this has not bee...
The gynoecium is the most complex organ formed by the flowering plants. It encloses the ovules, provides a surface for pollen contact and self-incompatibility reactions, allows pollen tube growth and, post fertilization, and develops into the fruit. Consequently, the regulation of gynoecium morphogenesis is complex and appropriate timing of this pr...
Auxin regulates a plethora of events during plant growth and development, acting in concert with other phytohormones. YUCCA genes encode flavin monooxygenases that function in tryptophan-dependent auxin biosynthesis. To understand the contribution of the YUCCA4 (YUC4) gene on auxin homeostasis, plant growth and interaction with abscisic acid (ABA)...
The gynoecium, the female reproductive part of the flower, is key for plant sexual reproduction. During its development, inner tissues such as the septum and the transmitting tract tissue, important for pollen germination and guidance, are formed. In Arabidopsis, several transcription factors are known to be involved in the development of these tis...
Cover: Scanning electron microscope image of an Arabidopsis thaliana fruit of the kawak mutant, revealing unfused carpels, internal medial tissues, such as ovules, and an anther-like structure fused to a carpel (left side). The image is false-coloured to indicate different tissue types and internal structures. KAWAK, a direct target of the transcri...
Flowers are composed of different organs, whose identity is defined at the molecular by the combinatorial activity of transcription factors (TFs). MADS-box TFs interact forming complexes that have been schematized in the quartet model. The gynoecium is the female reproductive part in the flower, crucial for plant reproduction, and fruit and seed pr...
Gene function discovery in plants, as other plant science quests, is aided by tools that image, document, and measure plant phenotypes. Tools that acquire images of plant organs and tissues at the microscopic level have evolved from qualitative documentation tools, to advanced tools where software-assisted analysis of images extracts quantitative i...
After linear sequences of genomes and epigenomic landscape data, the 3D organization of chromatin in the nucleus is the next level to be explored. Different organisms present a general hierarchical organization, with chromosome territories at the top. Chromatin interaction maps, obtained by chromosome conformation capture (3C)-based methodologies,...
After linear sequences of genomes, and epigenomic landscape data, the 3D organization of chromatin in the nucleus is the next level to be explored. Different organisms present a general hierarchical organization, with chromosome territories at the top. Chromatin interaction maps, obtained by chromosome conformation capture (3C)-based methodologies,...
Hormones are an important component in the regulatory networks guiding plant development. Cytokinins are involved in different physiological and developmental processes in plants. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, cytokinin application during gynoecium development produces conspicuous phenotypes. On the other hand, Brassica napus, also known...
The gynoecium is the female reproductive system in flowering plants. It is a complex structure formed by different tissues, some that are essential for reproduction and others that facilitate the fertilization process and nurture and protect the developing seeds. The coordinated development of these different tissues during the formation of the gyn...
The phytohormones auxin and cytokinin are key regulators of plant development, and both regulate almost all aspects of plant growth and development. Communication between auxin-cytokinin signaling pathways has been the subject of intense research. However, few studies have focused specifically on the development of the early gynoecium. We have rece...
Several miRNAs are conserved in different plant families, but their abundance and target genes vary between species, organs, and stages of development. Target genes of miRNAs are mostly transcription factors, involved in the control of many plant developmental processes, including fruit development. MiR164 is a conserved miRNA, highly expressed in...
Fruits and seeds are the major food source on earth. Both derive from the gynoecium and, therefore, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that guide the development of this organ of angiosperm species. In Arabidopsis, the gynoecium is composed of two congenitally fused carpels, where two domains: medial and lateral, can be distinguished. The m...
Primer sequences used in this study.
(PDF)
SPT expression during gynoecium development.
(A-F) Expression of SPT::GUS during gynoecium development at stage 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, respectively. Scale bars: 20 μm (A-C), 40 μm (D-F).
(TIF)
Phenotypes of wild-type, single, double, and triple type-B arr mutant plants.
Photos of plants of 73 days old of wild-type (Col-0), arr1, arr10, arr12, arr1 arr10, arr10 arr12, arr1 arr12, and arr1 arr10 arr12. Scale bar: 3 cm.
(TIF)
Expression of DR5::GFP and auxin efflux PIN transporters in the gynoecium.
(A-D) Expression of the transcriptional auxin response reporter DR5::GFP line in transverse sections of wild-type gynoecia at stages 8, 9, 10, and 12. (E-L) Expression of PIN translational fusions with GFP in gynoecia at stage 9 and 12: PIN1::PIN1-GFP
(E, I), PIN3::PIN3-GFP...
Transverse sections of stage 6–12 gynoecia of wild-type, single, double, and triple type-B arr mutants.
Transverse sections of the ovary region of stage 6–12 gynoecia of wild-type, arr1, arr10, arr12, arr1 arr10, arr10 arr12, arr1 arr12, and arr1 arr10 arr12. The photo of the stage 12 gynoecium of the triple type-B arr mutant is an example of a sec...
qRT-PCR of ARR1, ARR10, and ARR12 in wild-type gynoecia.
Expression analysis by qRT-PCR of ARR1, ARR10, and ARR12 in wild-type dissected gynoecia. Error bars represent the SD based on three biological replicates.
(TIF)
SPT enables cytokinin response during gynoecium development.
(A, B) Phenotypes of wild-type Ler (A) and spt-2 (B) gynoecia treated with BAP for 5 days. The photos were taken 3–4 weeks after the BAP treatment. In (B) an example is shown of a spt-2 gynoecium presenting a minor effect to BAP in the replum outgrowth phenotype (only in 12.5% of the case...
In situ hybridization with sense-probe for ARR1 in the gynoecium.
(A) Negative control (sense probe) for the in situ hybridization of the type-B ARR1 in a longitudinal section of a stage 12 gynoecium. Scale bar: 100 μm.
(TIF)
PIN3 localization during gynoecium development in different backgrounds and upon cytokinin treatment.
(A-L) Localization of PIN3::PIN3-GFP in transverse sections of gynoecia at stage 7, 8, 9, and 12 of wild-type (A-D), spt-2
(E-H), and 35S::SPT
(I-L). (M-R) PIN3 expression after 48 hours BAP treatment of stage 8, 9, and 12 gynoecia in wild-type (M-...
TCS signal in cytokinin treated 35S::SPT x TCS::GFP gynoecia.
Expression of the cytokinin response reporter TCS::GFP in transverse sections of gynoecia at stage 8 and 9 of 35S::SPT
(A, B), and 35S::SPT after 48 hours of BAP treatment (C, D). Scale bars: 10 μm.
(TIF)
Protein-protein interaction assays of SPT with ARR proteins.
(A) Yeast two-hybrid assay with SPT fused to the GAL4 DNA binding domain in combination with itself (homo-dimerization detection) and with 9 type-B ARR proteins (ARR1, ARR2, ARR10, ARR11, ARR12, ARR14, ARR18, ARR20, and ARR21), and also we performed the assay with 8 type-A ARR proteins (A...
PIN1 and PIN3 localization during gynoecium development.
(A-J) The localization of PIN1::PIN1-GFP during gynoecium development at stage 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 (Longitudinal view: A-E; top view at the apex: F; transverse section in the ovary: G-J). (K-T) The localization of PIN3::PIN3-GFP during gynoecium development at stage 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 (Longi...
PIN3 is necessary for a cytokinin response and with PIN7 for correct gynoecium development.
(A) Scanning electron microscopy image of a pin3-4 mutant gynoecium. (B-D) Five days BAP-treated gynoecia phenotypes (photos were taken 3–4 weeks after BAP treatment) of wild-type Col-0 with the typical overgrowth of tissue from the repla (B), pin3-4 lacking...
Cytokinins are important signals that participate in different plant processes, and are well known for their strong influence in plant development. With the years, knowledge has been built about their effects, chemical nature, metabolism, and signaling mechanisms. However, one aspect about cytokinins that has been lagging behind is cytokinin transp...
Here we describe an uncharacterized gene that negatively influences Arabidopsis growth and reproductive development. DRINK ME (DKM; bZIP30) is a member of the bZIP transcription factor family, and is expressed in meristematic tissues such as the inflorescence meristem (IM), floral meristem (FM), and carpel margin meristem (CMM). Altered DKM express...
Flowering plants are called angiosperms and most of their flowers produce at their center a pistil or a gynoecium, which is the female reproductive structure. After a double fertilization event, the gynoecium develops into a fruit with great importance for the plant because it protects and helps the dispersion of a new generation, and, for humans i...
The gynoecium is the female reproductive structure and probably the most complex plant structure. During its development different internal tissues and structures are formed. Insights in gene expression or hormone localization patterns are key to understanding gynoecium development from a molecular biology point of view.
Imaging with a confocal las...
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: False‐colored images of the expression of the auxin efflux transporter PIN3 marker (PIN3::PIN3:GFP) in stage 9 gynoecia of Arabidopsis thaliana. From Imaging early stages of the female reproductive structure of Arabidopsis by confocal laser scanning microscopy, J. Irepan Reyes‐Olalde, Nayelli Marsch‐Martínez, and Stefan de Folter,...
In the post genomic era much effort has been put on the discovery of gene function using functional genomics. Despite the advances achieved by these technologies in the understanding of gene function at the genomic and proteomic level, there is still a big genotype-phenotype gap. Metabolic profiling has been used to analyze organisms that have alre...
MiRNAs are a class of non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) that are important regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by mRNA cleavage or translation inhibition. Another class of sRNAs are siRNAs, which also regulate gene expression but by causing DNA methylation. This epigenetic regulatory role has been observed for some miRNAs as...
miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. They are involved in the control of many developmental processes, including fruit development. The increasing amount of information on miRNAs, on their expression, abundance, and conservation between various species, provides a new opportunity to study the role of miRNAs in...
In Arabidopsis thaliana multiple genes involved in Shoot Apical Meristem (SAM) transitions have been characterized, but the mechanisms required for the dynamic attainment of vegetative-, inflorescence- and flower meristem (VM, IM, FM) cell-fates during SAM transitions are not well understood. Here we show that a MADS-box gene, XAANTAL2 (XAL2/AGL14)...
The apical-basal axis of the Arabidopsis gynoecium is established early during development and is divided into four elements from the bottom to the top: the gynophore, the ovary, the style, and the stigma. Currently, it is proposed that the hormone auxin plays a critical role in the correct apical-basal patterning through a concentration gradient f...
Small RNAs are pivotal regulators of gene expression that guide transcriptional and post-transcriptional silencing mechanisms in eukaryotes, including plants. Here we report a comprehensive atlas of sRNA and miRNA from 3 species of algae and 31 representative species across vascular plants, including non-model plants. We sequence and quantify sRNAs...
Uncovering the complex transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) that underlie plant and animal development remains a challenge. However, a vast amount of data from public microarray experiments is available, which can be subject to inference algorithms in order to recover reliable TRN architectures.
In this study we present a simple bioinformatic...
Long-term goals to impact or modify fruit quality and yield have been the target of researchers for many years. Different approaches such as traditional breeding, mutation breeding, and transgenic approaches have revealed a regulatory network where several hormones concur in a complex way to regulate fruit set and development, and these networks ar...
Elucidating molecular links between cell-fate regulatory networks and dynamic patterning modules is a key for understanding development. Auxin is important for plant patterning, particularly in roots, where it establishes positional information for cell-fate decisions. PIN genes encode plasma membrane proteins that serve as auxin efflux transporter...
The gynoecium, which is produced at the center of most flowers, is the female reproductive organ and consists of one or more carpels. The Arabidopsis gynoecium consists of two fused carpels. Its inner tissues possess meristematic characteristics and are called the carpel margin meristem (CMM), because they are located at the margins of the carpels...
After fertilization, in Arabidopsis, auxin response in ovules triggers fruit development through the stimulation of gibberellin metabolism. In a recent work, we showed that this model could not explain why CYP78A9 overexpression can uncouple these processes. The specific expression pattern of CYP78A9 suggests its involvement during reproductive dev...
After fertilization in Arabidopsis, auxin response in ovules triggers fruit development through the stimulation of gibberellin metabolism. In a recent work, we showed that this model could not explain why CYP78A9 overexpression can uncouple these processes. The specific expression pattern of CYP78A9 suggests its involvement during reproductive deve...
Background
Grafting procedures are an excellent tool to study long range signalling processes within a plant. In the last decade, suitable flat-surface grafting procedures for young Arabidopsis seedlings using a collar to support the graft have been developed, allowing the study of long-range signals from a molecular perspective.
Results
In the mo...
Synchronized communication between gametophytic and sporophytic tissue is crucial for successful reproduction and hormones seem to have a prominent role in it. Here, we studied the role of the Arabidopsis cytochrome P450 CYP78A9 enzyme during reproductive development. First, controlled pollination experiments indicate that CYP78A9 responds to ferti...
The proper development of fruits is important for the sexual reproduction and propagation of many plant species. The fruit of Arabidopsis derives from the fertilized gynoecium, which initiates at the center of the flower and obtains its final shape, size, and functional organs through progressive stages of development. Hormones, specially auxins, p...
Development and patterning of the gynoecium - and later the fruit - must be finely regulated to ensure the survival of the species that produces them. The process that leads to successful fruit formation starts at early stages of floral meristem development and follows a series of chronologically successive events. In a recent work we reported the...
Cytokinins have many essential roles in embryonic and post-embryonic growth and development, but their role in fruit morphogenesis is currently not really known. Moreover, information about the spatio-temporal localization pattern of cytokinin signaling in gynoecia and fruits is lacking. Therefore, the synthetic reporter line TCS::GFP was used to v...
The gynoecium is one of the most complex organs of a plant. After fertilization, it becomes a fruit, which has two important functions: to protect the seeds while they develop and to disperse them at maturity. The development and patterning of the gynoecium and later fruit must be finely regulated to ensure the survival of the species that produces...