In flowering plants, one of the two sperm cells delivered by pollen becomes the main fertilizing sperm, but very little is known about how this is achieved.
Through detailed time-lapse microscopic observation of fertilization in the common morning glory, they found that the egg cell secretes a chemoattractant molecule, LURE1, to guide sperm to the egg apparatus, where fertilization occurs. By adding synthetic peptides with the same amino acid sequence as part of the LURE1 molecule to the pollen tube, the researchers were able to attract two or even more sperm to the egg apparatus, suggesting that LURE1 is a key player in controlling the sperm-to-egg ratio in plants.
They also found that mutation in the LURE1 gene disrupts fertilization, indicating the biological importance of LURE1 in the plant's reproductive system.
The findings of this study shed new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying sperm-egg interactions and fertilization control in plants, and contribute to our understanding of plant reproductive biology and the development of novel strategies for plant breeding and agriculture.
