Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Endosperm pp 45–56Cite as

Aleurone Cell Development

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Plant Cell Monographs ((CELLMONO,volume 8))

Abstract

The periphery of the endosperm of many plant species forms an epidermis-like layer called the aleurone. During germination, the aleurone performs an important digestive function, secreting hydrolases to break down the starch and proteins stored in the starchy endosperm cells. Several features of cereal aleurone cells make them an attractive system for studying fundamental questions of cell fate and differentiation. The system is conceptually simple, with a single fate choice between starchy endosperm or aleurone cell types. The surface location makes the cells accessible for study, and they can be readily isolated by peeling from developing grains. Because of these experimental advantages and its importance to crop utilization, aleurone development has been most intensively studied in cereals. This chapter describes a picture of aleurone cell fate specification and development as a dynamic system displaying unique modifications to the cell cycle and cytoskeletal arrays, and surprising plasticity in cell fate decisions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adeola O (1999) Nutrient management procedures to enhance environmental conditions: an introduction. J Anim Sci 77:427–429

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Becraft PW, Asuncion-Crabb YT (2000) Positional cues specify and maintain aleurone cell fate during maize endosperm development. Development 127:4039–4048

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Becraft PW, Stinard PS, McCarty DR (1996) CRINKLY4: a TNFR-like receptor kinase involved in maize epidermal differentiation. Science 273:1406–1409

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Becraft PW, Chandok MR, Jin P, Guo T, Asuncion-Crabb Y, Zhang Y (1999) The function of the maize CRINKLY4 receptor-like kinase in a growth factor like signaling system. Symposium of Plant Signal Transduction, New Delhi, India

    Google Scholar 

  • Becraft PW, Li K, Dey N, Asuncion-Crabb YT (2002) The maize dek1 gene functions in embryonic pattern formation and in cell fate specification. Development 129:5217–5225

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bethke PC, Lonsdale JE, Fath A, Jones RL (1999) Hormonally regulated programmed cell death in barley aleurone cells. Plant Cell 11:1033–1046

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bethke PC, Hwang Y-S, Zhu T, Jones RL (2006) Global patterns of gene expression in the aleurone of wild-type and dwarf1 mutant rice. Plant Physiol 140:484–498

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bethke PC, Libourel IGL, Aoyama N, Chung Y-Y, Still DW, Jones RL (2007) The Arabidopsis thaliana aleurone layer responds to nitric oxide, gibberellin, and abscisic acid and is sufficient and necessary for seed dormancy. Plant Physiol 143:1173-1188

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown RC, Lemmon BE (2007) The Developmental Biology of Cereal Endosperm (in this volume). Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown RC, Lemmon BE, Olsen O-A (1994) Endosperm development in barley: microtubule involvement in the morphogenetic pathway. Plant Cell 6:1241–1252

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown RC, Lemmon BE, Olsen O-A (1996) Development of the endosperm in rice (Oryza sativa L.): cellularization. J Plant Res 109:301–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown RC, Lemmon BE, Nguyen H, Olsen O-A (1999) Development of endosperm in Arabidopsis thaliana. Sex Plant Reprod 12:32–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao X, Costa LM, Biderre-Petit C, Kbhaya B, Dey N, Perez P, McCarty DR, Gutierrez-Marcos JF, Becraft PW (2007) Abscisic acid and stress signals induce Viviparous1 (Vp1) expression in seed and vegetative tissues of maize. Plant Physiol p 106.091454

    Google Scholar 

  • Casaretto J, Ho TD (2003) The transcription factors HvABI5 and HvVP1 are required for the abscisic acid induction of gene expression in barley aleurone cells. Plant Cell 15:271–284

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Charlton WL, Keen CL, Merriman C, Lynch P, Greenland AJ, Dickinson HJ (1995) Endosperm development in Zea mays; implication of gametic imprinting and paternal excess in regulation of transfer layer development. Development 121:3089–3097

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coe EH Jr (1978) The aleurone tissue of maize as a genetic tool. In: Walden DB (ed) Maize breeding and genetics. Wiley, New York, pp 447–459

    Google Scholar 

  • Cone KC (2007) Anthocyanin biosynthesis (in this volume). Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa LM, Gutierrez-Marcos JF, Brutnell TP, Greenland AJ, Dickinson HG (2003) The globby1–1 (glo1–1) mutation disrupts nuclear and cell division in the developing maize seed causing alterations in endosperm cell fate and tissue differentiation. Development 130:5009–5017

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dooner HK, Robbins TP, Jorgensen RA (1991) Genetic and developmental control of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Annu Rev Genet 25:173–199

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fenech M, Noakes M, Clifton P, Topping D (2005) Aleurone flour increases red-cell folate and lowers plasma homocyst(e)ine substantially in man. Br J Nutr 93:353–360

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Furtado A, Henry RJ (2005) The wheat Em promoter drives reporter gene expression in embryo and aleurone tissue of transgenic barley and rice. Plant Biotechnol J 3:421–434

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gavazzi G, Dolfini S, Allegra D, Castiglioni P, Todesco G, Hoxha M (1997) Dap (defective aleurone pigmentation) mutations affect maize aleurone development. Mol Gen Genet 256:223–230

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geisler-Lee J, Gallie DR (2005) Aleurone cell identity is suppressed following connation in maize kernels. Plant Physiol p 105.064295

    Google Scholar 

  • Gifford ML, Robertson FC, Soares DC, Ingram GC (2005) ARABIDOPSIS CRINKLY4 function, internalization, and turnover are dependent on the extracellular crinkly repeat domain. Plant Cell 17:1154–1166

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goyal K, Walton LJ, Tunnacliffe A (2005) LEA proteins prevent protein aggregation due to water stress. Biochem J 388:151–157

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gruis D, Guo H, Selinger D, Tian Q, Olsen O-A (2006) Surface position, not signaling from surrounding maternal tissues, specifies aleurone epidermal cell fate in maize. Plant Physiol 141:898–909

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hattori T, Vasil V, Rosenkrans L, Hannah LC, McCarty DR, Vasil IK (1992) The Viviparous-1 gene and abscisic acid activate the C1 regulatory gene for anthocyanin biosynthesis during seed maturation in maize. Genes Dev 6:609–618

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoecker U, Vasil IK, McCarty DR (1995) Integrated control of seed maturation and germination programs by activator and repressor functions of Viviparous-1 of maize. Genes Dev 9:2459–2469

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Howard TL, Stauffer DR, Degnin CR, Hollenberg SM (2001) CHMP1 functions as a member of a newly defined family of vesicle trafficking proteins. J Cell Sci 114:2395–2404

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jakobsen JV, Knox RB, Pyliotis NA (1971) The structure and composition of aleurone grains in the barley aleurone layer. Planta 101:189–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jin P, Guo T, Becraft PW (2000) The maize CR4 receptor-like kinase mediates a growth factor-like differentiation response. Genesis 27:104–116

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson KL, Degnan KA, Ross Walker J, Ingram GC (2005) AtDEK1 is essential for specification of embryonic epidermal cell fate. Plant J 44:114–127

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones RL (1969) The fine structure of barley aleurone cells. Planta 85:359–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler S, Seiki S, Sinha N (2002) Xcl1 causes delayed oblique periclinal cell divisions in developing maize leaves, leading to cellular differentiation by lineage instead of position. Development 129:1859–1869

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kiesselbach TA (1949) The structure and reproduction of corn. Nebraska Agric Exp Stn Res Bull 161:1–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyle DJ, Styles ED (1977) Development of aleurone and sub-aleurone layers in maize. Planta 137:185–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy AA, Walbot V (1990) Regulation of the timing of transposable element excision during maize development. Science 248:1534–1537

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lid SE, Gruis D, Jung R, Lorentzen JA, Ananiev E, Chamberlin M, Niu X, Meeley R, Nichols S, Olsen O-A (2002) The defective kernel 1 (dek1) gene required for aleurone cell development in the endosperm of maize grains encodes a membrane protein of the calpain gene superfamily. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99:5460–5465

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lid SE, Al RH, Krekling T, Meeley RB, Ranch J, Opsahl-Ferstad HG, Olsen O-A (2004) The maize disorganized aleurone layer 1 and 2 (dil1, dil2) mutants lack control of the mitotic division plane in the aleurone layer of developing endosperm. Planta 218:370–378

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lid SE, Olsen L, Nestestog R, Aukerman M, Brown RC, Lemmon B, Mucha M, Opsahl-Sorteberg H-G, Olsen O-A (2005) Mutation in the Arabidopisis thaliana DEK1 calpain gene perturbs endosperm and embryo development while over-expression affects organ development globally. Planta 221:339

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClintock B (1978) Development of the maize endosperm as revealed by clones. In: Subtelny S, Sussex IM (eds) The clonal basis of development. Academic, New York, pp 217–237

    Google Scholar 

  • McIntosh GH, Royle PJ, Pointing G (2001) Wheat aleurone flour increases cecal beta-glucuronidase activity and butyrate concentration and reduces colon adenoma burden in azoxymethane-treated rats. J Nutr 131:127–131

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miyoshi K, Kagaya Y, Ogawa Y, Nagato Y, Hattori T (2002) Temporal and spatial expression pattern of the OSVP1 and OSEM genes during seed development in rice. Plant Cell Physiol 43:307–313

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison IN, Kuo J, O'Brien TP (1975) Histochemistry and fine structure of developing wheat aleurone cells. Planta 123:105–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen HN, Sabelli PA, Larkins BA (2007) Endoreduplication and programmed cell death in the cereal endosperm (in this volume). Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolas G, Fournier CM, Galand C, Malbert-Colas L, Bournier O, Kroviarski Y, Bourgeois M, Camonis JH, Dhermy D, Grandchamp B, Lecomte MC (2002) Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates alpha II spectrin cleavage by calpain. Mol Cell Biol 22:3527–3536

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen O-A (2001) Endosperm development: cellularization and cell fate specification. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 52:233–267

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen O-A (2004a) Nuclear endosperm development in cereals and Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell 16:S214–227

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen O-A (2004b) Dynamics of maize aleurone cell formation: the “surface” rule. Maydica 49:37–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Opsahl-Sorteberg HG, Divon HH, Nielsen PS, Kalla R, Hammond-Kosack M, Shimamoto K, Kohli A (2004) Identification of a 49-bp fragment of the HvLTP2 promoter directing aleurone cell specific expression. Gene 341:49–58

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Otegui M (2007) Endosperm cell walls: formation, composition, and functions (in this volume). Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Randolph LF (1936) Developmental morphology of the caryopsis in maize. J Agric Res 53:881–916

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen B, Li C, Min Z, Meeley RB, Tarczynski MC, Olsen O-A (2003) sal1 determines the number of aleurone cell layers in maize endosperm and encodes a class E vacuolar sorting protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:6552–6557

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan WF, Neuffer MG (1982) Maize developmental mutant embryos unable to form leaf primordia. J Heredity 73:319–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Shiraha H, Glading A, Chou J, Jia Z, Wells A (2002) Activation of m-calpain (calpain II) by epidermal growth factor is limited by protein kinase A phosphorylation of m-calpain. Mol Cell Biol 22:2716–2727

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart A, Nield H, Lott JNA (1988) An investigation of the mineral content of barley grains and seedlings. Plant Physiol 86:93–97

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swanson SJ, Bethke PC, Jones RL (1998) Barley aleurone cells contain two types of vacuoles. Characterization of lytic organelles by use of fluorescent probes. Plant Cell 10:685–698

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vicente-Carbajosa J, Carbonero P (2005) Seed maturation: developing an intrusive phase to accomplish a quiescent state. Int J Dev Biol 49:645–651

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walbot V (1994) Overview of key steps in aleurone development. In: Freeling M, Walbot V (eds) The maize handbook. Springer, New York, pp 78–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Barry JK, Min Z, Tordsen G, Rao AG, Olsen O-A (2003) The calpain domain of the maize DEK1 protein contains the conserved catalytic triad and functions as a cysteine proteinase. J Biol Chem 278:34467–34474

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe M, Tanaka H, Watanabe D, Machida C, Machida Y (2004) The ACR4 receptor-like kinase is required for surface formation of epidermis-related tissues in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J 39:298–308

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wisniewski JP, Rogowsky PM (2004) Vacuolar H+-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (Vpp1) marks partial aleurone cell fate in cereal endosperm development. Plant Mol Biol 56:325–337

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Young TE, Gallie DR (2000) Programmed cell death during endosperm development. Plant Mol Biol 44:283–301

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetics, Development & Cell Biology/Agronomy, Iowa State University, 50011, Ames, IA, USA

    Philip W. Becraft

Authors
  1. Philip W. Becraft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip W. Becraft .

Editor information

Odd-Arne Olsen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Becraft, P.W. (2007). Aleurone Cell Development. In: Olsen, OA. (eds) Endosperm. Plant Cell Monographs, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/7089_2007_108

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation