title: Germline Development and Fertilization Mechanisms in Maize.
abstract: Maize is the most important agricultural crop used for food, feed, and biofuel as well as a raw material for industrial products such as packaging material. To increase yield and to overcome hybridization barriers, studies of maize gamete development, the pollen tube journey, and fertilization mechanisms were initiated more than a century ago. In this review, we summarize and discuss our current understanding of the regulatory components for germline development including sporogenesis and gametogenesis, the progamic phase of pollen germination and pollen tube growth and guidance, as well as fertilization mechanisms consisting of pollen tube arrival and reception, sperm cell release, fusion with the female gametes, and egg cell activation. Mechanisms of asexual seed development are not considered here. While only a few molecular players involved in these processes have been described to date and the underlying mechanisms are far from being understood, maize now represents a spearhead of reproductive research for all grass species. Recent development of essentially improved transformation and gene-editing systems may boost research in this area in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry, Biochemie-Zentrum Regensburg, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Liang-Zi
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry, Biochemie-Zentrum Regensburg, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juranić
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry, Biochemie-Zentrum Regensburg, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: thomas.dresselhaus@ur.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dresselhaus
mesh_terms: D005306:Fertilization / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D056771:Ovule / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053205:Pollen Tube / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: fertilization; gametophyte; germline; maize; pollen tube; progamic phase