Gamete recognition in angiosperms: model and strategy for analysis

Gametes and Fertilization: Maize as a Model System for Experimental Embryogenesis in Flowering Plants

“…This has recently been confirmed by preliminary patch-clamp measurements (A. Chaboud, M. de Barros Lopes, C. Breton, R. Pidulsky, O. Rougier, and C. Dumas, unpublished results). Other studies have shown that the presence of ATP (a nucleotide known to be an indicator of life and used to test the fertility of human sperm) is a good indicator of the metabolic potential of these cells (Roeckel et al, 1991;Chaboud and Perez, 1992). In addition, ^S-methionine labeling experiments clearly show that these isolated cells are able to synthesize new proteins (P. Roeckel and C. Dumas, unpublished results).…”

“…Table 3 shows that a parallel approach has been developed to successfully isolate living embryo sacs and egg cells for further manipulation and characterization (Wagner et al, 1989b;Figures 2F to 2J). Several recent reviews (Roeckel et al, 1991;Theunis et al, 1991;Chaboud et al, 1992;Russell, 1993, this issue) have addressed this topic and its influence on new developments in the study of fertilization in angiosperms (see also reviews in Russell and Dumas, 1992).…”

“…In this system, there is a nondisjunction of the B-chromatids during generative cell division, resulting in only one sperm receiving the 6-chromosomes. This sperm most often fuses with the egg cell (Roman, 1948;Chaboud et al, 1992).…”

“…Success in isolating intact, viable, and functional maize gametes offers the possibility of identifying the specific determinants involved in fertilization, which are thought to be borne on the interacting gamete plasma membranes (Dumas et al, 1984;Chaboud et al, 1992). Such studies may uncover differences in the membrane proteins of dimorphic sperm cells.…”

“…Although sperm cell isolation has been accomplished in severa1 species (for reviews, see Russell, 1991;Theunis et al, 1991;Chaboud and Perez, 1992), female gamete isolation has been less successful in most of these species. In maize, it is possible to isolate large numbers of both gamete types; for this reason and others, enumerated below and in Table 1, maize is emerging as a model system for the study of gametes, fertilization, and experimental embryogenesis.…”