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Characterization of the plant Notchless homolog, a WD repeat protein involved in seed development

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Abstract

We have isolated a plant NOTCHLESS (NLE) homolog from the wild potato species Solanum chacoense Bitt., encoding a WD-repeat containing protein initially characterized as a negative regulator of the Notch receptor in animals. Although no Notch signaling pathway exists in plants, the NLE gene is conserved in animals, plants, and yeast. Overexpression of the plant ScNLE gene in Drosophila similarly affected bristle formation when compared to the overexpression of the endogenous Drosophila NLE gene, suggesting functional conservation. Expression analyses showed that the ScNLE gene was fertilization-induced and primarily expressed in ovules after fertilization, mainly in the integumentary tapetum (endothelium). Significant expression was also detected in the shoot apex. Promoter deletion analysis revealed that the ScNLE promoter had a complex modulatory architecture with both positive, negative, and tissue specific regulatory elements. Transgenic plants with reduced levels of ScNLE transcripts displayed pleitotropic phenotypes including a severe reduction in seed set, consistent with ScNLE gene expression pattern.

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Abbreviations

DAP:

Days after pollination

HAP:

Hours after pollination

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Acknowledgements

We are indebt to Dr. Stephen Cohen from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany, where part of the work was realized in his laboratory on Drosophila transgenic experiments. We also thank Roselyne Labbé, Édtih Lafleur and Éric Chevalier for technical assistance. This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and from the Canada Research Chair program. S. C. Chantha is the recipient of Ph.D. fellowships from NSERC and from Le Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQRNT, Québec). D. P. Matton holds a Canada Research Chair in Functional Genomics and Plant Signal Transduction.

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  1. Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale (IRBV), Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, 4101 rue Sherbrooke est, H1X 2B2, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Sier-Ching Chantha & Daniel P. Matton

  2. The Liggins Institute, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    B. Starling Emerald

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  1. Sier-Ching Chantha
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  2. B. Starling Emerald
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  3. Daniel P. Matton
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Correspondence to Daniel P. Matton.

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Chantha, SC., Emerald, B.S. & Matton, D.P. Characterization of the plant Notchless homolog, a WD repeat protein involved in seed development. Plant Mol Biol 62, 897–912 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-006-9064-4

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