PubMed · 2026-07-08
Scientists discovered a cell-wall protein in tobacco plants that acts as a molecular gatekeeper during the first cell divisions of a new embryo. Without it, embryos develop irregular shapes and die, revealing that the space outside plant cells plays a far more active role in early development than previously understood.
The extracellular protein NtProRP1 localizes to the cell wall immediately after fertilization and is required for normal embryo cell division patterns in tobacco.
CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of NtProRP1 caused arrested embryos with irregular cell shapes and aborted seeds, demonstrating an essential developmental role.
Transcriptome profiling of isolated two-celled proembryos showed coordinated upregulation of genes for cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin synthesis in mutants, implicating cell wall integrity signaling pathways including receptor-like kinases, MAPKs, Ca2+ flux, and phytohormones.
