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Research in our laboratory centres on the developmental genetics of plant reproduction. The characterization of mutants has revealed an extensive epigenetic regulatory network mediating maternal control over seed development. For instance, MEDEA (MEA) is involved in the epigenetic control of gene expression at two levels: First, the MEA gene the regulated by genomic imprinting, i.e. only the maternally inherited allele is transcribed after fertilization. Second, MEA encodes a plant homolog of Drosophila histone-methyl-transferase Enhancer of zeste [E(z)]. MEA is a subunit of one of the plant versions of animal Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), which controls cell proliferation, embryonic patterning, and imprinted gene expression in mammals. In this seminar, I will focus on our recent work on the function of MEA in the Arabidopsis embryo, suggesting that PRC2 complexes have independently been recruited to regulate embryonic patterning and cell proliferation during embryogenesis in animals and plants.