Sex Determination in Ceratopteris richardii Is Accompanied by Transcriptome Changes That Drive Epigenetic Reprogramming of the Young Gametophyte

G3 (Bethesda). 2018 Jul 2;8(7):2205-2214. doi: 10.1534/g3.118.200292.

Abstract

The fern Ceratopteris richardii is an important model for studies of sex determination and gamete differentiation in homosporous plants. Here we use RNA-seq to de novo assemble a transcriptome and identify genes differentially expressed in young gametophytes as their sex is determined by the presence or absence of the male-inducing pheromone called antheridiogen. Of the 1,163 consensus differentially expressed genes identified, the vast majority (1,030) are up-regulated in gametophytes treated with antheridiogen. GO term enrichment analyses of these DEGs reveals that a large number of genes involved in epigenetic reprogramming of the gametophyte genome are up-regulated by the pheromone. Additional hormone response and development genes are also up-regulated by the pheromone. This C. richardii gametophyte transcriptome and gene expression dataset will prove useful for studies focusing on sex determination and differentiation in plants.

Keywords: Ceratopteris; Genetics of Sex; RNA-seq; antheridiogen; epigenetics; gametophyte; gibberellin; sex determination; transcriptome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Epigenesis, Genetic*
  • Ferns / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Gene Ontology
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Genes, Plant*
  • Germ Cells, Plant*
  • Molecular Sequence Annotation
  • Sex Determination Processes*
  • Transcriptome*