Arabidopsis transcription factor genes NF-YA1, 5, 6, and 9 play redundant roles in male gametogenesis, embryogenesis, and seed development.

Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a highly conserved transcription factor presented in all eukaryotic organisms, and is a heterotrimer consisting of three subunits: NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC. In Arabidopsis, these three subunits are encoded by multigene families. The best-studied member of the NF-Y transcription factors is LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), a NF-YB family member, which plays a critical role in embryogenesis and seed maturation. However, the function of most NF-Y genes remains elusive. Here, we report the characterization of four genes in the NF-YA family. We found that a gain-of-function mutant of NF-YA1 showed defects in male gametogenesis and embryogenesis. Consistently, overexpression of NF-YA1, 5, 6, and 9 affects male gametogenesis, embryogenesis, seed morphology, and seed germination, with a stronger phenotype when overexpressing NF-YA1 and NF-YA9. Moreover, overexpression of these NF-YA genes also causes hypersensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA) during seed germination, retarded seedling growth, and late flowering at different degrees. Intriguingly, overexpression of NF-YA1, 5, 6, and 9 is sufficient to induce the formation of somatic embryos from the vegetative tissues. However, single or double mutants of these NF-YA genes do not have detectable phenotype. Collectively, these results provide evidence that NF-YA1, 5, 6, and 9 play redundant roles in male gametophyte development, embryogenesis, seed development, and post-germinative growth.

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