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DEVELOPMENT AND HORMONE ACTION

Surface Position, Not Signaling from Surrounding Maternal Tissues, Specifies Aleurone Epidermal Cell Fate in Maize^[OA]

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a DuPont Company, Johnston, Iowa 50131

Maize (Zea mays) endosperm consists of an epidermal-like surface layer of aleurone cells, an underlying body of starchy endosperm cells, and a basal layer of transfer cells. To determine whether surrounding maternal tissues perform a role in specifying endosperm cell fates, a maize endosperm organ culture technique was established whereby the developing endosperm is completely removed from surrounding maternal tissues. Using cell type-specific fluorescence markers, we show that aleurone cell fate specification occurs exclusively in response to surface position and does not require specific, continued maternal signal input. The starchy endosperm and aleurone cell fates are freely interchangeable throughout the lifespan of the endosperm, with internalized aleurone cells converting to starchy endosperm cells and with starchy endosperm cells that become positioned at the surface converting to aleurone cells. In contrast to aleurone and starchy endosperm cells, transfer cells fail to develop in in vitro-grown endosperm, supporting earlier indications that maternal tissue interaction is required to fully differentiate this cell type. Several parameters confirm that the maize endosperm organ cultures described herein retain the main developmental features of in planta endosperm, including fidelity of aleurone mutant phenotypes, temporal and spatial control of cell type-specific fluorescent markers, specificity of cell type transcripts, and control of mitotic cell divisions.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Darren (Fred) Gruis (fred.gruis{at}pioneer.com).

Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.106.080945.

^* Corresponding author; e-mail oddol{at}umb.no; fax 4764947802.

Received March 24, 2006; returned for revision April 24, 2006; accepted April 25, 2006.

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