title: Polyspermy barriers: a plant perspective.
abstract: A common denominator of sexual reproduction in many eukaryotic species is the exposure of an egg to excess sperm to maximize the chances of reproductive success. To avoid potential harmful or deleterious consequences of supernumerary sperm fusion to a single female gamete (polyspermy), many eukaryotes, including plants, have evolved barriers preventing polyspermy. Typically, these checkpoints are implemented at different stages in the reproduction process. The virtual absence of unambiguous reports of naturally occurring egg cell polyspermy in flowering plants is likely reflecting the success of this multiphasic strategy and highlights the difficulty to trace this presumably rare event. We here focus on potential polyspermy avoidance mechanisms in plants and discuss them in light of analogous processes in animals.
authors.affiliation: Bremen University, Molecular Genetics, Leobenerstr. 5, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dawit G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tekleyohans
authors.affiliation: Bremen University, Molecular Genetics, Leobenerstr. 5, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Yanbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG, Mattenhofstr. 5, 3003 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kägi
authors.affiliation: ZMBP, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: York-Dieter
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Stierhof
authors.affiliation: Bremen University, Molecular Genetics, Leobenerstr. 5, 28359, Bremen, Germany. Electronic address: Gross-Hardt@uni-bremen.de.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Groß-Hardt
mesh_terms: D005306:Fertilization; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D012098:Reproduction