Ginkgo biloba, a dioecious plant known as a living fossil, is an ancient gymnosperm that stands distinct from other gymnosperms and angiosperms. Ginkgo biloba var. epiphylla (G. biloba var. epiphylla), with ovules borne on the leaf blade, is an unusual germplasm derived from G. biloba. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are post-transcriptional gene regulators that play critical roles in diverse biological and...

Planar morphogenesis, a distinct feature of multicellular organisms, is crucial for the development of ovule, progenitor of seeds. Both receptor-like kinases (RLKs) such as STRUBBELIG (SUB) and auxin gradient mediated by PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1) play instructive roles in this process. Fine-tuned intercellular communications between different cell layers during ovule development demands dynamic membra...

It is shown that cytoplasm polymorphisms transmitted only by the ovules can be maintained without gene-cytoplasmic interactions. The necessary prerequisites are asymmetry of the plasmotypes in production of ovules and pollen (sexual asymmetry), incomplete and frequency-dependent fertilization efficiency and differential selfing rates. These factors can generate the negative frequency dependence...

Cotton fiber developing on cultured ovules is an important experimental tool, even though in vitro grown fibers are shorter than in situ grown fibers. Fiber measurements and microscopy show that early fiber elongation increased when calcium concentration in the culture medium was reduced from the traditional 3 mM to 0.1 mM. Fiber length in 0.1 mM calcium responded negatively to trifuoperazine, ...

Pollen tube guidance precedes the double fertilization of flowering plants. Here, we report the identification of a small maize protein of 94 amino acids involved in short-range signaling required for pollen tube attraction by the female gametophyte. ZmEA1 is exclusively expressed in the egg apparatus, consisting of the egg cell and two synergids. Chimeric ZmEA1 fused to green fluorescent prote...

Auxin's capacity to regulate aspects of plant development has been well characterized in model plant systems. In contrast, orchids have received considerably less attention, but the realization that many orchid species are endangered has led to culture-based propagation studies which have unveiled some functions for auxin in this system. This mini-review summarizes the many auxin-mediated devel...