Speaker
Description
Duckweeds predominantly propagate vegetatively, and the mechanisms underlying their sexual reproduction and seed biology remain largely unexplored due to the absence of a tractable experimental system. Here, we identified a Korean ecotype of Lemna aequinoctialis that completes its entire sexual life cycle under laboratory conditions, and established a developmental framework encompassing photoperiod-dependent flowering, seed maturation, germination, and re-establishment of vegetative growth. Flowering reached 100% under short-day conditions, and seeds remained highly viable after storage at 4°C in darkness for up to two years. Mature seeds accumulated triacylglycerol (TAG) as their major storage reserve, containing approximately 481-fold more TAG than vegetative fronds and no detectable starch. Seed maturation was accompanied by induction of conserved seed developmental regulators (LEC1, ABI3, FUS3, LEC2, WRI1, and bZIP67), together with genes involved in fatty acid synthesis and TAG assembly. During germination, seed-derived TAG was mobilized to sustain early frond establishment prior to the attainment of photosynthetic autonomy, revealing a conserved seed reserve utilization strategy in this aquatic monocot. Together, these findings establish L. aequinoctialis as an experimentally tractable model for investigating seed development and storage lipid metabolism in duckweeds, and provide a foundation for future genetic improvement and domestication efforts in this emerging aquatic crop system.
Keywords
sexual-reproduction, seed-development, seed-germination, seed-metabolism, triacylglycerol
References
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| Corresponding author email | yasuyoyamaoka@gmail.com |
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| Scientific Session | Cell Biology, Physiology, Metabolisms |
