RT Journal Article
T1 Vacuolar processing enzyme 4 contributes to maternal control of grain size in barley by executing programmed cell death in the pericarp
A1 Radchuk, Volodymyr
A1 Tran, Van
A1 Radchuk, Ruslana
A1 Díaz Mendoza, María Mercedes
A1 Weier, Diana
A1 Fuchs, Joerg
A1 Riewe, David
A1 Hensel, Goetz
A1 Kumlehn, Jochen
A1 Munz, Eberhard
A1 Heinzel, Nicolas
A1 Rolletschek, Hardy
A1 Martinez, Manuel
A1 Borisjuk, Ljudmilla
AB •The angiosperm embryo and endosperm are limited in space because they grow inside maternal seed tissues. The elimination of cell layers of the maternal seed coat by programmed cell death (PCD) could provide space and nutrition to the filial organs.•Using the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seed as a model, we elucidated the role of vacuolar processing enzyme 4 (VPE4) in cereals by using an RNAi approach and targeting the enzymatic properties of the recombinant protein. A comparative characterization of transgenic versus wild-type plants included transcriptional and metabolic profiling, flow cytometry, histology and nuclear magnetic imaging of grains.•The recombinant VPE4 protein exhibited legumain and caspase-1 properties in vitro. Pericarp disintegration was delayed in the transgenic grains. Although the VPE4 gene and enzymatic activity was decreased in the early developing pericarp, storage capacity and the size of the endosperm and embryo were reduced in the mature VPE4-repressed grains.•The persistence of the pericarp in the VPE4-affected grains constrains endosperm and embryo growth and leads to transcriptional reprogramming, perturbations in signalling and adjustments in metabolism. We conclude that VPE4 expression executes PCD in the pericarp, which is required for later endosperm filling, and argue for a role of PCD in maternal control of seed size in cereals.
PB Wiley
SN 0028-646X
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/95371
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/95371
LA eng
NO Radchuk, Volodymyr, et al. «Vacuolar Processing Enzyme 4 Contributes to Maternal Control of Grain Size in Barley by Executing Programmed Cell Death in the Pericarp». New Phytologist, vol. 218, n.o 3, mayo de 2018, pp. 1127-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14729.
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 abr 2025