Temporal genomic imprinting regulates grain filling in barley

Early expression of the maternal allele of LYS3, followed by partial activation of the paternal allele, dynamically regulates grain filling in barley endosperm.

• Why it matters: Imprinted genes control endosperm development, but how they specifically shape storage-compound accumulation during grain filling remains unclear.
• What they did: Using spatiotemporal transcriptome analysis of 255 imprinted genes in Hordeum vulgare, the study pinpoints endosperm transfer cells as a hotspot of imprinted-gene expression.
• The result: LYS3 transcription factor activity is linked to grain filling via maternal-allele expression early and later partial paternal-allele activation, suggesting temporal imprinting coordinates nutrient accumulation.

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