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Science 28 July 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5786, pp. 496 - 499
DOI: 10.1126/science.1125526
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Research Articles

Transcriptional Repression Distinguishes Somatic from Germ Cell Lineages in a Plant

Farzad Haerizadeh, Mohan B. Singh, Prem L. Bhalla*

In flowering plants, the male germline begins with an asymmetric division, after which one of the resulting cells, the generative cell, divides symmetrically to produce two sperm cells. We show here that the male germline is initiated by transcriptional control. We identify GRSF, germline-restrictive silencing factor, from the lily. GRSF is ubiquitous in nongerm cells and is absent from male germ cells. GRSF recognizes silencer sequences in promoters of genes specific to the germline, stably repressing these genes in cells that are not destined to become germ cells.

Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, Faculty of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: premlb{at}unimelb.edu.au

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Male gametophyte development: a molecular perspective.
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J. Exp. Bot. 60, 1465-1478
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In Silico Identification of Short Nucleotide Sequences Associated with Gene Expression of Pollen Development in Rice.
M. Mihara, T. Itoh, and T. Izawa (2008)
Plant Cell Physiol. 49, 1451-1464
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