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Programmed Cell Death Eliminates All but One Embryo in a Polyembryonic Plant Seed

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Programmed Cell Death Eliminates All but One Embryo in a Polyembryonic Plant Seed Cell Death and Differentiation (2002) 9, 1057 ± 1062 ã 2002 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved 1350-9047/02 $25.00 www.nature.com/cdd Programmed cell death eliminates all but one embryo in a polyembryonic plant seed LH Filonova1, S von Arnold1, G Daniel2 and PV Bozhkov*,1 Some species have embryogenesis programs involving physical splitting of cells, after the first few mitotic divisions, 1 Department of Forest Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, into separate embryos. Other species show self-cloning at the Box 7027, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden level of post-embryonic, but pre-adult, individual (larva). In 2 Department of Wood Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, both cases of monozygotic polyembryony, offspring are Box 7008, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden derived from the same zygote and therefore are genetically * Corresponding author: Dr PV Bozhkov, Department of Forest Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7027, S-75007 Uppsala, identical to each other, but distinct from their parent(s). In Sweden. Tel: 46-18-673228; Fax: 46-18-673279; animals, obligate monozygotic polyembryony has been E-mail: [email protected] documented on at least 18 occasions within bryozoans, hydrozoans, parasitoid wasps, flatworms and armadillos.1 Received 31.1.02; revised 15.3.02; accepted 8.4.02 Furthermore, accidental or `sporadic' polyembryony in a form Edited by M Piacentini of monozygotic twinning occurs at a very low frequency in humans and some other mammals.2 In plants, monozygotic polyembryony is a more widespread reproductive strategy,3 Abstract being especially common among gymnosperms where at Development of multiple embryos from a single zygote, the least 20 genera have evolved so called `cleavage polyem- phenomenon called monozygotic polyembryony, is a wide- bryony'.4 One embryo in a polyembryonic seed usually spread reproductive strategy found in higher plants and develops to maturity and gives rise to a viable plant while all the other embryos are eliminated at early developmental especially in gymnosperms. The enigma of plant monozygotic 4±7 polyembryony is that only one embryo in a polyembryonic stages. The mechanism responsible for eliminating plant embryos is unknown. seed usually survives while the others are eliminated at an The developing pine seed represents a good model early stage. Here we report that programmed cell death (PCD) system for studying plant embryo elimination, because is the major mechanism responsible for elimination of multiple pine embryos which arise from the same zygote subordinate embryos in a polyembryonic seed. Using post- through obligate cleavage polyembryony4,5,7 coexist in the fertilized pine (Pinus sylvestris) ovules, we show that once the same environment (in a corrosion cavity within the female dominant embryo is selected and, subsequently, the entire gametophyte4), and develop in close proximity to each female gametophyte is affected by PCD, the cells of other during early and late embryogeny. Here we show that subordinate embryos initiate an autolytic self-destruction programmed cell death (PCD) is the major mechanism program. The progression of embryonic PCD follows a rigid responsible for elimination of all but one embryo in a basal-apical pattern, first killing the most basally situated polyembryonic pine seed. cells, adjacent to the suspensor, and then proceeding towards the apical region until all cells in the embryonal mass are Results and Discussion doomed. Our data demonstrate that during polyembryony, Programmed cell death eliminates subordinate PCD serves to halt competition among monozygotic embryos embryos in order to ensure survival of one embryo. Cell Death and Differentiation (2002) 9, 1057 ± 1062. A hallmark feature of pine embryogeny is that a single, zygote- doi:10.1038/sj.cdd.4401068 derived early embryo (Figure 1; 1 week after fertilization (waf)) cleaves to form multiple (in the range from four to several Keywords: programmed cell death; polyembryony; plant seed; dozen) embryos of equal size (Figure 1; 2 waf). One embryo embryo competition; female gametophyte; embryo elimination becomes dominant (Figure 1; 3 and 4 waf) while the subordinate embryos are eliminated (Figure 1; 6 and 11 waf). The entire period of post-fertilized pine ovule develop- Abbreviations: DAPI, 4'-6-diamino-2-phenylindole; PCD, pro- ment can be divided into three phases, in terms of embryo grammed cell death; TUNEL, terminal deoxynucleotydil transferase competition. During the first, brief phase, all the embryos in an (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling; waf, weeks after fertiliza- ovule have similar growth rates and thus have an equal tion opportunity for dominance (Figure 1; 2 waf). The onset of the second, longer phase, coincides with one embryo `gaining a victory' in the competition and becoming dominant (Figure 1; 3 Introduction waf). The growth of remaining, subordinate embryos, is progressively reduced (Figure 1; 4 waf) until it stops During evolution of multicellular eukaryotes, certain completely when the dominant embryo has reached the approaches to clonal propagation have been developed. cotyledonary stage (Figure 1; 6 waf). During the third phase, Natural embryonic cell death in plants LH Filonova et al 1058 subordinate embryos are progressively eliminated, while the gradually engulfed and lysed by a high number of growing mature dominant embryo enters the dormancy period (Figure vacuoles (Figure 4A,B). This slow phase of cell degradation 1; from 6 waf onward). was followed by a brief culminate phase triggered by To determine the kinetics of the elimination of sub- vacuole collapse and leading to complete protoplast ordinate embryos, we scored the number of polyembryonic removal (Figure 4C). This pathway of cell dismantling is ovules at different times after fertilization. We defined a 3- known to be activated in those plant developmental deaths, week period (between 8 and 11 waf) during which about including embryo suspensor death,13 which require sub- 80% of the ovules were completely cleared of subordinate stantial or complete processing of cell corpses.12,14 Thus it embryos, thus becoming monoembryonic. The clearance of is not altogether surprising that most pine ovules do not remaining polyembryonic ovules (about 20%, most of which contain subordinate embryos at late stages. tended to contain subordinate embryos of greater size) was slow and asynchronous, sometimes being delayed until seed germination (data not shown, see also refs5,8). Dying cells of female gametophyte are not Is elimination of subordinate pine embryos another subjected to rapid destruction example of developmental PCD?9±12 We analyzed nuclear Our data do not currently allow us to determine the signal DNA integrity in embryos at different times during ovule triggering cell death in subordinate embryos in a pine seed. development using terminal deoxynucleotydil transferase We, however, speculate that this signal might be given by the (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). A highly female gametophyte (haploid maternal tissue which has ordered pattern of DNA fragmentation was detected in similar functions as the endosperm in angiosperm seeds4,15) subordinate embryos (Figure 2) but not in the dominant as a response to depletion of a pool of growth factors which embryo (data not shown). The embryo suspensor was the becomes too low to support complete development of all only embryonic structure undergoing DNA fragmentation embryos in a seed.15 ± 18 If so, the viability of the female during embryo competition, as no TUNEL positive cells gametophyte would cease prior to cell death in subordinate were found in embryonal masses at 2 and 4 waf (Figure 2). embryos. Noteworthy, PCD in a gymnosperm female Once the dominant embryo had reached the cotyledonary gametophyte has not previously been identified, whereas stage at 6 waf (Figure 1), a small subset of the most angiosperm endosperm has been shown to initiate suicide basally situated cells within the embryonal mass of program either before or during seed germination.19,20 subordinate embryos displayed DNA fragmentation (Figure Indeed, we did find a highly organized pattern of 2; 6 waf). This seemed to determine the major `course' of progression of nuclear DNA fragmentation (one of the nuclear degradation, as it progressively spread towards the well-known hallmarks of endosperm PCD19) throughout the apical region of the subordinate embryos until all the cells female gametophyte (Figure 5A). At the time when the of the embryonal masses were doomed (Figure 2; 8 and 10 dominant embryo has been selected and started active waf). Such a regular pattern of DNA fragmentation was growth, all the cells in the female gametophyte seem to be invariably followed by all the subordinate embryos viable (Figure 5A; 3 waf, upper row), except for a narrow, analyzed, indicating its programmed nature. Rapid accu- unicellular layer that lines the corrosion cavity (Figure 5A; 3 mulation of subordinate embryos with fragmented DNA was waf, second row). These cells are thought to function in clearly followed by a drop in the frequency of poly- embryo nutrition.21 Thereafter the cone-shaped zone in embryonic ovules (Figure 3). front of the dominant embryo began to degenerate making Since the presence of nuclear DNA fragmentation did not room for the actively growing embryo (Figure 5A; 4 waf). explain the way subordinate embryos are eliminated from The entire female gametophyte was affected by DNA the ovules, we analyzed the
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