Centre for Biomolecular Interactions, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany; email:
Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2020 Apr 29;71:517-546. doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-081519-035943.
Fertilization of flowering plants requires the organization of complex tasks, many of which become integrated by the female gametophyte (FG). The FG is a few-celled haploid structure that orchestrates division of labor to coordinate successful interaction with the sperm cells and their transport vehicle, the pollen tube. As reproductive outcome is directly coupled to evolutionary success, the underlying mechanisms are under robust molecular control, including integrity check and repair mechanisms. Here, we review progress on understanding the development and function of the FG, starting with the functional megaspore, which represents the haploid founder cell of the FG. We highlight recent achievements that have greatly advanced our understanding of pollen tube attraction strategies and the mechanisms that regulate plant hybridization and gamete fusion. In addition, we discuss novel insights into plant polyploidization strategies that expand current concepts on the evolution of flowering plants.
开花植物的受精需要组织复杂的任务，其中许多任务由雌配子体 (FG) 整合。FG 是一个由几个细胞组成的单倍体结构，它协调分工，以协调与精子细胞及其运输载体花粉管的成功相互作用。由于生殖结果直接与进化成功相关，因此潜在的机制受到强大的分子控制，包括完整性检查和修复机制。在这里，我们回顾了对 FG 发育和功能的理解进展，从代表 FG 单倍体起始细胞的功能大孢子开始。我们强调了最近的成就，这些成就极大地促进了我们对花粉管吸引策略以及调节植物杂交和配子融合的机制的理解。此外，我们讨论了关于植物多倍体化策略的新见解，这些见解扩展了关于开花植物进化的现有概念。
