MEGASPOROGENESIS

Megasporocyte (mother cell)

(2n) I

(n) II

(n)

(n)

meiosis

Megasporogenesis

MEGAGAMETOGENESIS
Megagametogenesis

(n)
8 nuclei 7 cells

HAPLOID EGG
Antipodal cells

Central nuclei Synergid cells

Egg cell

HAPLOID EGG

(Buchanan et al., 2000)

FERTILIZATION
stigma
Pollen tube

ovule Fertilization

DOUBLE FERTILIZATION
Antipodal cells

Central nuclei Sperm nuclei Egg cell Synergid cell

EMBRYO & ENDOSPERM

Double fertilization
Sperm (n) + egg (n) embryo (2n)

Sperm (n) + central nuclei (2n) endosperm (3n)

Only Angiosperm

GROWTH RATE
Growth rate of pollen tube: 10 mmin-1

Pollen grows in simple media

in vivo growth > in vitro growth

Female factor for optimal growth?

GUIDANCE CUE

Antipodal cell
Central nuclei (2n)

Egg cell (n)

Synergid cell
Sperm nuclei

Guidance from the embryo sac (synergids?)

(Buchanan et al., 2000)

DISCHARGE
100 years after the discovery of double fertilization

Naked embryo sac

(Trenia fournieri)

VIDEO
(Higashiyama et al., 2000)

SYNERGID
- Eivdences for guidance from the synergid The pollen tubes enter the embryo sac at the synergids.

The synergids are secretory cells with high concentration of Ca2+ The pollen tubes are not attracted by fertilized embryo sac with disrupted synergids or heat-killed embryo sac