Gametophytic epigenetic regulators, MEDEA and DEMETER, synergistically suppress ectopic shoot formation in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Key messageThe gametophytic epigenetic regulators, MEA and DME, extend their synergistic role to the sporophytic development by regulating the meristematic activity via restricting the gene expression in the shoot apex.AbstractThe gametophyte-to-sporophyte transition facilitates the alternation of generations in a plant life cycle. The epigenetic regulators DEMETER (DME) and MEDEA (MEA) synergistically control central cell proliferation and differentiation, ensuring proper gametophyte-to-sporophyte transition in Arabidopsis. Mutant alleles of DME and MEA are female gametophyte lethal, eluding the recovery of recessive homozygotes to examine their role in the sporophyte. Here, we exploited the paternal transmission of these mutant alleles coupled with CENH3-haploid inducer to generate mea-1;dme-2 sporophytes. Strikingly, the simultaneous loss of function of MEA and DME leads to the emergence of ectopic shoot meristems at the apical pole of the plant body axis. DME and MEA are expressed in the developing shoot apex and regulate the expression of various shoot-promoting factors. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), DNA methylation, and gene expression analysis revealed several shoot regulators as potential targets of MEA and DME. RNA interference-mediated transcriptional downregulation of shoot-promoting factors STM, CUC2, and PLT5 rescued the twin-plant phenotype to WT in 9–23% of mea-1−/−;dme-2−/− plants. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized synergistic role of MEA and DME in restricting the meristematic activity at the shoot apex during sporophytic development.