Egg and sperm recognition systems during fertilization

Hirohashi, Noritaka; Kamei, Noriko; Kubo, Hideo; Sawada, Hitoshi; Matsumoto, Midori; Hoshi, Motonori

doi:10.1111/j.1440-169x.2008.01017.x

Cited by 70 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 177 publications

(239 reference statements)

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“…Compared with animals [43–46] little is known about direct gamete interactions in flowering plants. During the pollen tube journey a number of mechanisms have been established in plants to distinguish between self/non-self and alien pollen to prevent inbreeding and fertilization with foreign sperm cells [5].…”

Section: Gamete Recognition and Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertilization Mechanisms in Flowering Plants

2016

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Compared to the animal kingdom, fertilization is particularly complex in flowering plants (angiosperms). Sperm cells of angiosperms have lost their motility and require transportation as a passive cargo by the pollen tube cell to the egg apparatus (egg cell and accessory synergid cells). Sperm cell release from the pollen tube occurs after intensive communication between the pollen tube cell and the receptive synergid, culminating in the lysis of both interaction partners. Following release of the two sperm cells they interact and fuse with two dimorphic female gametes (egg and central cell) forming the major seed components embryo and endosperm, respectively. This process is known as double fertilization. Here we review the current understanding of the processes of sperm cell reception, gamete interaction, their pre-fertilization activation and fusion as well as the mechanisms plants use to prevent the fusion of egg cells with multiple sperm cells. The role of Ca2+ is highlighted in these various processes and comparisons are drawn between fertilization mechanisms in flowering plants and other eukaryotes including mammals.

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Section: Gamete Recognition and Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertilization Mechanisms in Flowering Plants

2016

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“…In eukaryotes, complex and specialized mechanisms have evolved to achieve the union of male and female gametes at fertilization by regulating attraction, signal exchange and recognition between the gametes (Boavida et al, 2005;Dresselhaus, 2006;Hirohashi et al, 2008;Hiscock and Allen, 2008;Kothe, 2008;Lord and Russell, 2002). In plants, the gametes are not produced directly from the meiotic products as in animals, but rather from multicellular, haploid gametophytes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disruption of the pollen-expressedFERONIAhomologsANXUR1andANXUR2triggers pollen tube discharge

et al. 2009

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The precise delivery of male to female gametes during reproduction in eukaryotes requires complex signal exchanges and a flawless communication between male and female tissues. In angiosperms, molecular mechanisms have recently been revealed that are crucial for the dialog between male (pollen tube) and female gametophytes required for successful sperm delivery. When pollen tubes reach the female gametophyte, they arrest growth, burst and discharge their sperm cells. These processes are under the control of the female gametophyte via the receptor-like serine-threonine kinase (RLK) FERONIA(FER). However, the male signaling components that control the sperm delivery remain elusive. Here, we show that ANXUR1 and ANXUR2(ANX1, ANX2), which encode the closest homologs of the FER-RLK in Arabidopsis, are preferentially expressed in pollen. Moreover,ANX1-YFP and ANX2-YFP fusion proteins display polar localization to the plasma membrane at the tip of the pollen tube. Finally, genetic analyses demonstrate that ANX1 and ANX2 function redundantly to control the timing of pollen tube discharge as anx1 anx2 double-mutant pollen tubes cease their growth and burst in vitro and fail to reach the female gametophytes in vivo. We propose that ANX-RLKs constitutively inhibit pollen tube rupture and sperm discharge at the tip of growing pollen tubes to sustain their growth within maternal tissues until they reach the female gametophytes. Upon arrival, the female FER-dependent signaling cascade is activated to mediate pollen tube reception and fertilization, while male ANX-dependent signaling is deactivated, enabling the pollen tube to rupture and deliver its sperm cells to effect fertilization.

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“…In the external fertilization in X. laevis, sperm initiate their motility by osmotic shock during ejaculation into pond water [13], move toward eggs in response to a concentration gradient of allurin, a chemoattractant secreted from the oviduct and attached onto the jelly layers, an outer coat of the oviposited frog egg [14]. Following penetration of the jelly layers, sperm then interact with the ZP (specifically vitelline envelope) that has undergone the limited processing of ZPC (gp43-gp41) by oviductin, a serine protease secreted from the oviduct during oviduct passage [15,16], and subsequently undergo the AR assisted by ARISX, an AR-inducing substance [17], penetrate the ZP and fuse with the egg plasma membrane (for a review see [18]). …”

Section: Fertilization Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dicalcin, a zona pellucida protein that regulates fertilization competence of the egg coat in Xenopus laevis

Miwa

2015

J Physiol Sci

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Fertilization is a highly coordinated process whereby sperm interact with the egg-coating envelope (called the zona pellucida, ZP) in a taxon-restricted manner, Fertilization triggers the resumption of the cell cycle of the egg, ultimately leading to generation of a new organism that contains hereditary information of the parents. The complete sperm-ZP interaction comprises sperm recognition of the ZP, the acrosome reaction, penetration of the ZP, and fusion with the egg. Recent evidence suggests that these processes involve oligosaccharides associated with a ZP constituent (termed ZP protein), the polypeptide backbone of a ZP protein, and/or the proper three-dimensional filamentous structure of the ZP. However, a detailed description of the molecular mechanisms involved in sperm-ZP interaction remains elusive. Recently, I found that dicalcin, a novel ZP protein-associated protein, suppresses fertilization through its association with gp41, the frog counterpart of the mammalian ZPC protein. This review focuses on molecular aspects of sperm-ZP interaction and describes the fertilization-suppressive function of dicalcin and associated molecular mechanisms. The amount of dicalcin in the ZP significantly correlates with alteration of the lectin-staining pattern within the ZP and the orientation pattern of ZP filaments, which may assist in elucidating the complex molecular mechanisms that underlie sperm-ZP interaction.

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Egg and sperm recognition systems during fertilization

Cited by 70 publications

References 177 publications

Fertilization Mechanisms in Flowering Plants

Fertilization Mechanisms in Flowering Plants

Disruption of the pollen-expressedFERONIAhomologsANXUR1andANXUR2triggers pollen tube discharge

Dicalcin, a zona pellucida protein that regulates fertilization competence of the egg coat in Xenopus laevis

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