| Abstract Detail
Reproductive Development Becraft, Philip W. [1], Hueros, Gregorio S. [2]. The maize Detl1 gene is required for normal endosperm transfer cell development. Cereal grains represent the major source of worldwide human caloric intake, as well as being a principle component of animal feed. Cereal grain is also increasingly important for industrial uses such as ethanol production and plastic manufacture. We have undertaken a survey of maize mutants that cause early seed lethality, commonly described as defective kernel (dek) or empty pericarp (ep) mutants. One of the mutants was disrupted in the development of the basal endosperm transfer layer, a specialized tissue that functions in the uptake of solutes from maternal tissues into the developing grains. The mutant transfer cells elaborate greatly reduced cell wall projections that are a hallmark of this cell type. We named the mutant defective endosperm transfer layer1 (detl1). Expression of BETL1::GUS, a marker for basal endosperm transfer cells, is compromised in the mutant. Other ep mutants, including one with greatly reduced starch accumulation, form well differentiated transfer layers, arguing that the phenotype is not merely a secondary defect caused by reduced sugar flux into the seed. The detl1 mutant was derived from a line harboring active Mutator transposable elements. A high-throughput Mu tagging approach was applied and a candidate gene isolated. The predicted gene product is a protein of unknown function. Continued analysis will be presented.
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1 - Iowa State University, Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, 2116 Molecular Biology Bldg., Ames, IA, 50011, USA
2 - University of Alcala, Departmento de Biol Cel Genet
Keywords:
transfer cell
endosperm
tagging
high throughput.
Presentation Type: Plant Biology Abstract
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P28055
Abstract ID:2180 |
