Autophagy and metacaspase are essential for embryo patterning. (A–D) Knockdown of ATG5, ATG6, or mcII-Pa results in suspensor-deficient phenotype (A) and inhibits anisotropic growth of dying cells (B), early (C), and late (D) embryogenesis. (A) The cultures were grown without GF for 7 d and stained with Evans blue to detect dead cells. Bars, 20 µm. (B) Length of Evans blue–positive cells measured in the same samples. Data represent the means ± SEM from three independent experiments, each including at least 200 Evans blue–positive cells from 10 embryos per line. (C) Frequency of aberrant early embryos lacking suspensors in the same samples as in A. Data represent the means ± SEM from three independent experiments, each including ≥100 embryos per line. (D) The yield of cotyledonary embryos after ABA treatment. Data represent the means ± SEM from four independent experiments, each including eight samples per line. FW, fresh weight. The mean values for RNAi lines in B–D significantly differ from control (P < 0.001; Dunnett’s test).