European Commission logo
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Building and bypassing plant polyspermy blocks

Objective

The ultimate goal for the survival of all species on earth is to reproduce. This uncompromising principle has triggered the evolution of numerous adaptations. One strategy commonly employed by sexually reproducing eukaryotes is the production of tremendous amounts of sperm to maximize the likelihood of an egg becoming fertilised. High sperm to egg ratios are, however, associated with an increased risk of supernumerary sperm fusion. This so-called polyspermy is lethal in many organisms. Accordingly, eukaryotes have evolved polyspermy barriers, which are implemented at different levels in the reproductive process. Flowering plants tightly control the number of sperm-transporting pollen tubes approaching a single ovule by a so-called pollen tube block. We have recently shown that the pollen tube block is relaxed in ethylene hyposensitive plants. Capitalizing on these results, this project aims at identifying and characterising the molecular mechanisms underlying plant polyspermy barriers.

Host institution

UNIVERSITAET BREMEN
Net EU contribution
€ 1 910 769,00
Address
Bibliothekstrasse 1
28359 Bremen
Germany

See on map

Region
Bremen Bremen Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 1 910 769,00

Beneficiaries (1)