# Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin

## TL;DR

This paper identifies a unique protein in the moss Takakia that marks the presence of sporopollenin, a key component in spore and pollen walls of land plants.

## Contribution

The study confirms the presence of ASCL in Takakia and its absence in algae, establishing a molecular marker for sporopollenin.

## Key findings

- Takakia lepidozioides possesses ASCL, a marker for sporopollenin in embryophyte spores and pollen.
- Algae with sequenced genomes lack ASCL and thus do not produce sporopollenin.
- ASCL is a distinguishing feature of land plant spore walls.

## Abstract

The enigmatic moss,
Takakia lepidozioides
, possesses a particular type III polyketide synthase, ASCL (Anther-Specific Chalcone synthase-Like), that is an identifying marker for genuine sporopollenin in the walls of embryophyte spores and pollen grains. By contrast, a survey of all algae with sequenced genomes confirms that they do not possess ASCL and, therefore, their spore walls are not composed of sporopollenin.