New approach to quantify in situ storage protein bodies in M. truncatula immature seeds

Grain legumes play a worldwide role as a source of plant proteins for feed and food. During seed mid-maturation (16-20 DAP), a semi-quantitative analysis of vicilin (globulin7S) accumulation was assessed in the model legume M.truncatula. The populations of vicilincontaining protein bodies are distinguished by their number and size which allowed proposing a model of their biogenesis. Two distributions were detected, enabling a separation of their processing at early and mid maturation stages. The largest protein bodies corresponding to mature vicilin aggregations which have probably reached their final size were shown to be formed by the fusion of the small bodies. This approach using a comb…

Assessing chromosome modifications in GM plants

Impact of endopolyploidy on seed coat development and cell expansion in Medicago truncatula

Growth of the seed coat is regulated by genetic interactions between maternal and filial tissues that ultimately establish seed size. However, endopolyploidy is one of the welldocumented factors controlling organ size. During seed development, the arrest of cell division at 4 DAP in the expanding seed coat is compensated for by cell elongation. Thus, the ploidy status of seed coat nuclei was assessed in order to determine if there is any correlation of endopolyploidy with cell elongation. In 10 DAP seed sections, the DAPI-integrated fluorescence, which correlates to DNA quantity, was measured in the seed coat parenchyma nuclei using the diploid embryo nuclei as internal control. Significant…

Seed coat structure in Medicago truncatula : histological changes associated with seed development.

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Protein storage accumulation at mid-embryogenesis in Medicago truncatula and Pisum sativum

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