Identification of genes required for plant reproductive systems by the visible screening of MYB98::GFP.

Abstract

Female gametophyte plays a critical role in essentially every step of the reproductive process. One of the most important functions of the female gametophyte is the pollen tube guidance. Within the female gametophyte, synergid cells are required for pollen tube guidance (Higashiyama et al. 2002). Although the cellular functions of the synergid cells have been understood, little is known for the molecular-level function of the synergid cells. However, Kasahara et al. identified a key gene, MYB98. MYB98 is the most important gene to understand the synergid cells at a molecular level. MYB98 is expressed exclusively in the synergid cells and myb98 mutant phenotype showed pollen tube guidance defect. To investigate genes essential for the development and function of the synergid cell, we started forward genetics approach by using MYB98::GFP visible screening. In this meeting, we discuss about the newly isolated mutants and the future research plans for this project.