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Understanding the Functional Megaspore Development: Current Status/Progress, Perspectives
Liping Liu1, Yuan Qin1, Hanyang Cai1
1College of Life Sciences, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
Abstract:
In most angiosperms, female gametogenesis originates from a specifically selected haploid megaspore, as three out of the four megaspores produced by meiosis degenerate without undergoing further division or differentiation. The remaining megaspore acquires functional megaspore (FM) identity, becoming the FM, which is essential for plant reproductive development. However, the molecular mechanisms governing FM development (or megaspore degeneration) remain largely unexplored, with current studies focusing on only a limited number of genes or regulatory networks. To date, no comprehensive review has systematically introduced advances in this field. This review aims to highlight recent progress in understanding FM development, discuss its critical role in female reproductive development and prospect the mechanism of FM development in environmental adaptation. By offering new insights, this review enriches existing knowledge of FM development and provides fresh perspectives for future research in plant reproduction and its adaptation to the environment.
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