AtCPSF73-II gene encoding an Arabidopsis homolog of CPSF 73 kDa subunit is critical for early embryo development

We have identified and genetically characterized an Arabidopsis thaliana gene encoding a homolog of the Cleavage and Polyadenylation Specificity Factor (CPSF). This gene, named AtCPSF73-II, has been found to have a critical role in development by loss-of-function analysis using a Dissociation (Ds) insertion line SGT1922. The homozygous SGT1922 plants were lethal, but the heterozygous plants, while retaining their normal vegetative growth, displayed empty seed spaces as well as aborted seeds with embryos arrested at the globular stage. Genetic analysis indicated that the disruption of the AtCPSF73-II gene in SGT1922 plants caused severe reduction in genetic transmission of female gametes due to a loss of fertility, while the transmission of male gametes was normal. Two independent heterozygous lines with T-DNA insertion on the AtCPSF73-II gene also showed the similar phenotype. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that AtCPSF73-II was preferentially expressed in flowers. Protein sequence analysis revealed a group of AtCPSF73-II homologs with unknown function in animals, but not in yeast, which suggested a potential important function of this group of genes in the development of multicellular organisms. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.