Genetic Analysis of Female Gametophyte Development and Function

雌性配子体是一个绝对必要的结构，参与种子发育、花粉管引导、受精和诱导种子发育等生殖功能。尽管它很重要，但对控制雌性配子体发育和功能的分子过程知之甚少。本提案中实验的长期目标是了解这些过程。我们将采用遗传方法来解决这个问题。本研究有四个具体目标：(1)鉴定雌性配子体发育缺陷的突变体；(2)对雌性配子体突变体进行遗传表征；(3)确定FG突变体受影响的发育步骤；(4)分离一个雌性配子体基因。这些研究将导致分离调控雌性配子体发育和功能的关键基因，并为这些过程的调控提供新的见解。由于雌性配子体在生殖过程中起中介作用，这一基本知识在种子可视性和活力的控制上具有可行性。

The female gametophyte is an absolutely essential structure that is involved in several reproductive functions such as seed development, pollen tube guidance, fertilization, and the induction of seed development. Despite its importance, very little is known about the molecular processes controlling female gametophyte development and function. The long-term goal of the experiments in this proposal is to understand these processes. We will take a genetic approach to this problem. This proposal has four specific goals: (1) identify mutants with defects in female gametophyte development, (2) characterize the female gametophyte mutants genetically, (3) determine the developmental steps affected in the FG mutants, and (4) isolate one female gametophyte gene. These studies will lead to the isolation of key genes mediating female gametophyte development and function and should provide new insight into how these processes are regulated. Because of the reproductive processes the female gametophyte mediates, this basic knowledge can feasibly have applications to the control of seed visability and vigor.