Nourishing the embryo with endosperm and enclosing both embryo and endosperm in the seed coat are two important evolutionary innovations. Seed coat is conventionally viewed as a protective layer that functions after the seed has matured. Here, we challenge this notion by showing that a subregion of the seed coat, termed the chalazal seed coat (CZSC), is geared to gate seed nutrition loading in developing seeds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants are frequently exposed to herbivory and mechanical damage that result in wounding. Two fundamental strategies, regeneration and healing, are employed by plants upon wounding. How plants make different decisions and how wound healing is sustained until the damaged tissues recover are not fully understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCRISPR/Cas9 (hereafter Cas9)-mediated gene knockout is one of the most important tools for studying gene function. However, many genes in plants play distinct roles in different cell types. Engineering the currently used Cas9 system to achieve cell-type-specific knockout of functional genes is useful for addressing the cell-specific functions of genes.
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