A molecular insight into Darwin's "plant brain hypothesis" through expression pattern study of the MKRN gene in plant embryo compared with mouse embryo.

MKRN gene family encodes zinc ring finger proteins characterized by a unique array of motifs (C3H, RING and a characteristic cys-his motif) in eukaryotes. To elucidate the function of the MKRN gene and to draw an analogy between plant root apical meristem and animal brain, we compared the gene expression pattern of MKRN in plant seeds with that of mouse embryo. The spatio-temporal expression of MKRN in seeds of pea and rice was performed using non radioactive mRNA in situ hybridization (NRISH) with DIG and BIOTIN labeled probes for pea and rice embryos respectively.