The suspensor is a terminally differentiated embryonic region that connects the embryo to surrounding tissues during early seed development. Most seed-bearing plant embryos contain suspensor regions, which occur in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and suspensor-like structures are present in the embryos of some lower land plants. Recent technological advances, including novel genomics approa...

The first structure that differentiates during plant embryogenesis is the extra-embryonic suspensor that positions the embryo in the lumen of the seed. A central role in nutrient transport has been ascribed to the suspensor in species with prominent suspensor structures. Little is known, however, about what impact the size of the rather simple Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) suspensor has on...

The first structure that differentiates during plant embryogenesis is the extra-embryonic suspensor that positions the embryo in the lumen of the seed. A central role in nutrient transport has been ascribed to the suspensor in species with prominent suspensor structures. Little is known, however, about what impact the size of the rather simple Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) suspensor has on...

The zygote in flowering plants usually divides transversely to form a terminal cell, which gives rise to the embryo proper, and a vacuolated basal cell, which often divides rapidly to form a structure known as the suspensor. Angiosperm suspensors vary widely in size and morphology from a single cell to a massive column of several hundred cells (Maheshwari, 1950; Wardlaw, 1955; Lersten, 1983). I...

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which the embryo proper and suspensor of plant embryos activate specific gene sets shortly after fertilization. We analyzed the upstream region of the scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) G564 gene to understand how genes are activated specifically within the suspensor during early embryo development. Previously, we showed that the G564 ups...

In Arabidopsis thaliana, zygotic embryo divisions are highly regular, but it is not clear how embryo patterning is established in species or culture systems with irregular cell divisions. We investigated this using the Brassica napus microspore embryogenesis system, where the male gametophyte is reprogrammed in vitro to form haploid embryos in the absence of exogenous growth regulators. Microsp...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Owing to large-scale collecting, the lady's slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum delenatii, is under threat of extinction. Asymbiotic germination provides a useful way to re-establish plants in the wild and for commercial propagation. A detailed study of embryo development would provide information on subsequent germination events and aid in the propagation of the species. METHOD...

The family Orobanchaceae includes many parasitic plant species. Parasitic plants invade host vascular tissues and form organs called haustoria, which are used to obtain water and nutrients. Haustorium formation is initiated by host-derived chemicals including quinones and flavonoids. Two types of quinone oxidoreductase (QR) are involved in signal transduction leading to haustorium formation; QR...