Loss-of-function of gynoecium-expressed phospholipase triggers haploid induction

Abstract Pollen-specific phospholipase A-mediated in vivo haploid induction system was functionally well conserved in numerous monocots. However, no functional orthologous gene has been identified in dicots plants. Here, we show that loss-of-function of gynoecium-expressed phospholipase AII (pPLAIIγ) triggers haploid plants in Arabidopsis, at an average rate of 1.46%. Reciprocal crosses demonstrate that haploid plants are triggered from the female side and not from the pollen, and the haploid plants carry the maternal genome.