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Siblicide between fertilized and unfertilized ovaries within the maize ear

Cheng Huang,Zhi-wei Wang,Yihsuan Lin,Xiao-Gui Liang,Hui-Min Chen,Bo Hong,Xian-Min Chen,Ya-Ning Zhou,Zhen-Yuan Chen,Shuai Dong,Xin Wang,Si Shen,Shun Zhou

Published 2025 in Communications Biology

ABSTRACT

Evolutionarily, plants overproduce ovaries but selectively eliminate those inferiors to ensure competitive offspring to set. This sibling rivalry, reducing grain number, is detrimental agronomically. However, the interaction between early-fertilized and unfertilized ovaries in sequentially-pollinated panicles is unclear. Here, we fertilized the ovaries on half rows of maize ear (HP) while keeping the rest unfertilized to investigate their interaction. HP reduced the growth of unfertilized ovaries while promoting fertilized ovary (grain) development. 13C-isotope labeling of grains led to isotope signal detected in the unlabeled ovaries, validating their interactions. Transcriptionally, HP caused cell wall degradation and senescence of unfertilized ovaries, reducing their viability. These ovaries showed promoted auxin and jasmonic acid levels with activated auxin signaling but suppressed MAPK signaling. Conversely, HP grains activated MAPK signaling, sugar utilization, and cell proliferation. These findings demonstrate that grains suppress ovaries in ear to consolidate sugar utilization advantage for development, potentially through hormone and MAPK signaling. Grains suppress ovaries in ears of maize to strengthen their sugar utilization advantage for development, potentially through hormone and MAPK signaling.

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