Shang Xin, Wang Ya-Xin, Jiang Guo-Wei, Chen Zhi-Han, Bi Xiao-Hang, Sun Jie, Zhang Xin
Qinling National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, College of Forestry, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Plant Cell Rep. 2025 May 26;44(6):132. doi: 10.1007/s00299-025-03519-5.
Confirmation of the correlation between archegonium development and pollen tube guidance and identification of putative genes implicated in male‒female interactions in gymnosperms. Studying angiosperm-like siphonogamy in gymnosperms will increase our understanding of seed plant evolution. This study involved an exploration of pollination and ovule development in Tsuga chinensis, which is an interesting gymnosperm species endemic to East Asia that exhibits angiosperm-like siphonogamy. Using comprehensive morphological approaches, we determined that the mechanism underlying T. chinensis pollination involves the germination of pollen grains outside the ovule and the growth of pollen tubes into the micropyle. Furthermore, a correlation between the timing of archegonial appearance and pollen tube growth was confirmed. Additionally, transcriptome sequencing revealed 19,643 DEGs that are involved in ovule development. Through bioinformatics analysis, we identified several putative genes that are involved in male‒female interactions in gymnosperms, and further validation of the functions of these DEGs is worthwhile. These findings offer valuable insights into the progression of the complex evolution of siphonogamy across seed plants and lay a foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying siphonogamy in gymnosperms.
确认雌配子体发育与花粉管导向之间的相关性，并鉴定裸子植物中涉及雌雄相互作用的假定基因。研究裸子植物中类似被子植物的吸器受精现象将增进我们对种子植物进化的理解。本研究对中国铁杉的授粉和胚珠发育进行了探索，中国铁杉是东亚特有的一种有趣的裸子植物，表现出类似被子植物的吸器受精现象。通过综合形态学方法，我们确定中国铁杉授粉的机制涉及胚珠外花粉粒的萌发以及花粉管向珠孔的生长。此外，确认了雌配子体出现时间与花粉管生长之间的相关性。此外，转录组测序揭示了19643个参与胚珠发育的差异表达基因。通过生物信息学分析，我们鉴定了几个参与裸子植物雌雄相互作用的假定基因，进一步验证这些差异表达基因的功能是值得的。这些发现为整个种子植物吸器受精复杂进化过程提供了有价值的见解，并为理解裸子植物吸器受精的分子机制奠定了基础。
