Abstract
Female and male gametophytes play a critical role in essentially every step of the reproductive process. Although the cellular functions of the gametophytic cells have been understood, little is known for the molecular-level function of those cells. However, Kasahara et al. identified a key gene, MYB98. MYB98 is essential for the interaction between female and male gametophytes. 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 gametophytic cells, we started forward genetics approach by using MYB98::GFP visible screening. This screening method is very powerful to identify the important genes for female or male gametophyte. In addition, this method enables us to identify gametophytic mutants which have defects in fertilization after formation of the embryo sac. We identified a male gametophytic mutant, G21, which is required to form two sperm cells in one pollen grain. In this meeting, we discuss about the newly isolated mutant G21 and the future research plans for this project.
