Transkriptionsanalyse einzelner isolierter Zellen zur Identifizierung von Genen, die während wichtiger Schritte der Entwicklung des weiblichen Gametophyten der Modelpflanze Arabidopsis eine Rolle spielen

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Reproduction is a crucial step in the life cycle of all species. In plants, reproduction through seeds involves the progression of well-defined developmental steps and many discrete differentiation events controlled by a large number of genes. Key events during female sexual reproduction are: (i) megasporogenesis involving meiosis of a megaspore mother cell (MMC) to give rise to the functional megaspore, (ii) megagametogenesis being the formation of the female gametophyte (embryo sac) harboring the two gametes (the egg cell and the bi-nucleate central cell) from the functional megaspore, and (iii) double fertilization during which the female and male gametes fuse. Although structure and development of the female gametophyte has attracted the attention of scientists for more than a century (e.g. Strasburger, 1879), the genetic and molecular basis underlying embryo sac formation is largely unknown. So far, only a small number of genes involved in sexual reproduction have been isolated and investigated.The goal of the proposed project is to identify genes expressed in single cells important for megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. To this aim the transcriptomes of MMC and functional megaspores will be analyzed. The role of candidate genes of putative importance for plant reproduction will further be investigated, e.g. by analysis of T-DNA insertion lines or screens for interaction partners. This project will significantly contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanism controlling embryo sac development and plant reproduction.