Abstract
Double fertilization is a unique reproductive system specific to angiosperm. During double fertilization, one of the two sperm cells fertilizes with egg cell and the other fertilizes with the central cell of the female gametophyte. Because the female gametophyte is deeply embedded in the ovule, it is difficult to observe the process of double fertilization in a live condition. We have developed novel systems to observe the entire process of Arabidopsis double fertilization in vitro. Video-rate imaging revealed that sperm nuclei were rapidly released into the embryo sac and delivered to the space between the egg and central cell after pollen tube discharge. We also found that the fusion of male and female gametophyte cells finished around 10 minutes after pollen tube discharge. In addition to this, we will introduce a trial to distinguish two sperm cells using fluorescent proteins.
