Parental conflict in plants: Maternal factors silence paternal genes
Monday, May 30, 2011 - 20:30
in Biology & Nature
In flowering plants, the beginning of embryogenesis is almost exclusively governed by maternal gene activity. Maternal factors regulate the development of the embryo and silence paternal genes during early stages of development. This finding was obtained using next generation sequencing technology. This newly uncovered mechanism may be involved in the maintenance of species boundaries and could play an important role in the development of novel crop varieties.