Degradation of nucellus is required to facilitate the nutrient supply to young embryo and endoperm during early endosperm development (Zhou et al., 2013) . OsMADS29 is preferentially expressed in nucellus and nucellar projections and promotes degradation of maternal tissues by regulating expression of cystein protease and NBS-LRR proteins(Yin et al., 2012). OsMADS29 is induced by auxin in early endosperm development (Yin et al., 2012; Zhou et al., 2013).