@article{BatistaMorenoRomeroQiuetal.2019,
  author    = {Batista, Rita A. and Moreno-Romero, Jordi and Qiu, Yichun and van Boven, Joram and Santos-Gonzalez, Juan and Figueiredo, Duarte Dionisio and K{\"o}hler, Claudia},
  title     = {The MADS-box transcription factor PHERES1 controls imprinting in the endosperm by binding to domesticated transposons},
  series = {eLife},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {eLife},
  publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications},
  address   = {Cambridge},
  issn      = {2050-084X},
  doi       = {10.7554/eLife.50541},
  pages     = {29},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {MADS-box transcription factors (TFs) are ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms and play major roles during plant development. Nevertheless, their function in seed development remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the imprinted Arabidopsis thaliana MADS-box TF PHERES1 (PHE1) is a master regulator of paternally expressed imprinted genes, as well as of non-imprinted key regulators of endosperm development. PHE1 binding sites show distinct epigenetic modifications on maternal and paternal alleles, correlating with parental-specific transcriptional activity. Importantly, we show that the CArG-box-like DNA-binding motifs that are bound by PHE1 have been distributed by RC/Helitron transposable elements. Our data provide an example of the molecular domestication of these elements which, by distributing PHE1 binding sites throughout the genome, have facilitated the recruitment of crucial endosperm regulators into a single transcriptional network.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BatistaFigueiredoSantosGonzalezetal.2019,
  author    = {Batista, Rita A. and Figueiredo, Duarte Dionisio and Santos-Gonzalez, Juan and K{\"o}hler, Claudia},
  title     = {Auxin regulates endosperm cellularization in Arabidopsis},
  series = {Genes \& Development},
  volume    = {33},
  journal   = {Genes \& Development},
  number    = {7-8},
  publisher = {Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press},
  address   = {Cold Spring Harbor, NY},
  issn      = {0890-9369},
  doi       = {10.1101/gad.316554.118},
  pages     = {466 -- 476},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {The endosperm is an ephemeral tissue that nourishes the developing embryo, similar to the placenta in mammals. In most angiosperms, endosperm development starts as a syncytium, in which nuclear divisions are not followed by cytokinesis. The timing of endosperm cellularization largely varies between species, and the event triggering this transition remains unknown. Here we show that increased auxin biosynthesis in the endosperm prevents its cellularization, leading to seed arrest. Auxin-overproducing seeds phenocopy paternal-excess triploid seeds derived from hybridizations of diploid maternal plants with tetraploid fathers. Concurrently, auxin-related genes are strongly overexpressed in triploid seeds, correlating with increased auxin activity. Reducing auxin biosynthesis and signaling reestablishes endosperm cellularization in triploid seeds and restores their viability, highlighting a causal role of increased auxin in preventing endosperm cellularization. We propose that auxin determines the time of endosperm cellularization, and thereby uncovered a central role of auxin in establishing hybridization barriers in plants.},
  language  = {en}
}