Control of Fruit Patterning in Arabidopsis by INDEHISCENT

• Published in: Cell Vol. 116; no. 6; pp. 843 - 853
• Main Authors: Liljegren, Sarah J, Roeder, Adrienne H.K, Kempin, Sherry A, Gremski, Kristina, Østergaard, Lars, Guimil, Sonia, Reyes, Daengnoy K, Yanofsky, Martin F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 19-03-2004
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - growth & development; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - isolation & purification; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; Base Sequence - genetics; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; Cell Differentiation - genetics; DNA, Complementary - analysis; DNA, Complementary - genetics; Fruit - genetics; Fruit - growth & development; Fruit - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - genetics; Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs - genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Morphogenesis - genetics; Mutation - genetics; Phenotype; Reproduction - genetics; Seeds - genetics; Seeds - growth & development; Seeds - metabolism; Transcription Factors - genetics
• ISSN: 0092-8674; 1097-4172
• DOI: 10.1016/S0092-8674(04)00217-X

The
Arabidopsis seedpod opens through a spring-loaded mechanism known as pod shatter, which is essential for dispersal of the seeds. Here, we identify INDEHISCENT (IND), an atypical bHLH protein, that is necessary for fruit opening and is involved in patterning each of the three fruit cell types required for seed dispersal. Previous studies suggested that FRUITFULL (FUL), a member of the MADS-domain transcription factor family, is required for fruit growth since
ful mutant fruit fail to undergo the dramatic enlargement that normally occurs after fertilization. Here we show, however, that FUL is not directly required for fruit elongation and instead is required to prevent ectopic activity of IND. Our molecular and genetic studies suggest a model for the regulatory interactions among the genes that control fruit development and the mechanism that results in the expression of
IND in a narrow stripe of cells.