The MAP3K-Coding QUI-GON JINN (QGJ) Gene Is Essential to the Formation of Unreduced Embryo Sacs in Paspalum (original) (raw)

Apomixis, a clonal reproduction method via seeds, results from meiotic and fertilization failures in sexual pathways. This research identifies and characterizes the QUI-GON JINN (QGJ) gene, a member of the YODA family and related to mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase, essential for embryo sac formation in Paspalum notatum. The study shows differential QGJ expression between sexual and apomictic florets, revealing its necessity in the nucellus of aposporous plants for the formation of unreduced embryo sacs.