The power of maize to decipher plant reproduction

In flowering plants, sexual reproduction is characterized by a unique biological process called double fertilization. It consists of two synchronized fusion events between male and female gametes: two sperm cells (from the same pollen grain) fused separately with the two female gametes: egg cell and central cell. This double fertilization gives rise to two different individuals/tissues: the embryo and the endosperm, which are enclosed by maternal tissues. A coordinated development of these three genetically distinct tissues, organized like a Russian doll, lead to the seed.

By using maize and combining OMICs, genetics (mutants and CRISPR/cas9) and cell biology approaches, our work aims to tackle questions on plant reproduction: How is the synchronization of double fertilization ensured? How is the communication between the three seed compartments established to ensure proper seed development? I will illustrate our research focusing on two aspects: (1) On the pollen side, I will present the characterization of a still enigmatic interface: the peri-germ cell membrane (PGCM) that originates from the pollen vegetative cell and wraps the two sperm cells, forming a unique “cell within a cell” structure. (2) On the seed development side, I will present the characterization of a new embryo/endosperm interface: the endosperm adjacent to scutellum (EAS).

Representative 5 recent publications:

► Jacquier et al., In planta haploid induction by kokopelli mutants. Plant Physiolgy, 2023 [PMID: 37300445]

► Gilles et al., Lipid anchoring and electrostatic interactions target NOT-LIKE-DAD to pollen endo-plasma membrane. Journal of Cell Biolgy, 2021 [PMID: 34323919]

► Jacquier et al., Puzzling out plant reproduction by haploid induction for innovations in plant breeding. Nature Plants, 2020 [PMID: 32514145]

► Doll et al., A two-way molecular dialogue between embryo and endosperm is required for seed development. Science, 2020 [PMID: 31974252]

► Gilles et al., Loss of pollen-specific phospholipase NOT LIKE DAD triggers gynogenesis in maize. EMBO Journal, 2017 [PMID: 28228439]

Thomas WIDIEZ, Scientific Director at INRAE, located at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, FRANCE
Website: https://www.ens-lyon.fr/RDP/developpement-de-la-graine/

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lSoxJqoAAAAJ

bluesky: @thomaswidiez.bsky.social