<p>Plants give us life, but how do they have sex has long been a mystery. Now, biologists from the University of Leicester have undressed the genetic hierarchy in plant sperm cell formation.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The researchers have discovered a pair of proteins made by flowering plants that are vital for the production of the sperm present within each pollen grain.<br /><br />"We often take for granted sexual reproduction in plants and its role in our lives. It is a complex process and it is only recently that we are beginning to get a grip on the underlying mechanisms," explained David Twell, professor at University of Leicester's department of biology.<br /><br />Flowering plants require not one but two sperm cells for successful fertilisation - one to join with the egg cell to produce the embryo and the other to join with a second cell to produce the nutrient-rich endosperm inside the seed.<br /><br />The mystery of this "double fertilization" process is how each single pollen grain is able to produce twin sperm cells.<br /><br />Researchers have found a pair of genes called DAZ1 and DAZ2 that are essential for making twin sperm cells.<br /><br />Plants with mutated versions of DAZ1 and DAZ2 produce pollen grains with a single sperm that is unable to fertilise.<br /><br />DAZ1 and DAZ2 are controlled by the protein DUO1 that acts as a "master switch".<br /><br />"DUO1 and the DAZ1/DAZ2 genes work in tandem to control a gene network that ensures a pair of fertile sperm is made inside each pollen grain," Twell noted.Interestingly, DAZ1 and DAZ2 perform their role by cooperating with a "repressor" protein called TOPLESS. TOPLESS acts as a brake on unwanted gene activity that would otherwise halt sperm and seed production.<br /><br />"We hope to further demystify the fascinating process - of how plants make the fertile sperm inside the pollen grains - that are essential for the vast majority of our food crop production," researchers emphasised.<br /><br />Such information may become increasingly important as we strive to breed superior crops that maintain yield in a changing climate, scientists concluded in a study published in the journal Plant Cell.</p>
<p>Plants give us life, but how do they have sex has long been a mystery. Now, biologists from the University of Leicester have undressed the genetic hierarchy in plant sperm cell formation.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The researchers have discovered a pair of proteins made by flowering plants that are vital for the production of the sperm present within each pollen grain.<br /><br />"We often take for granted sexual reproduction in plants and its role in our lives. It is a complex process and it is only recently that we are beginning to get a grip on the underlying mechanisms," explained David Twell, professor at University of Leicester's department of biology.<br /><br />Flowering plants require not one but two sperm cells for successful fertilisation - one to join with the egg cell to produce the embryo and the other to join with a second cell to produce the nutrient-rich endosperm inside the seed.<br /><br />The mystery of this "double fertilization" process is how each single pollen grain is able to produce twin sperm cells.<br /><br />Researchers have found a pair of genes called DAZ1 and DAZ2 that are essential for making twin sperm cells.<br /><br />Plants with mutated versions of DAZ1 and DAZ2 produce pollen grains with a single sperm that is unable to fertilise.<br /><br />DAZ1 and DAZ2 are controlled by the protein DUO1 that acts as a "master switch".<br /><br />"DUO1 and the DAZ1/DAZ2 genes work in tandem to control a gene network that ensures a pair of fertile sperm is made inside each pollen grain," Twell noted.Interestingly, DAZ1 and DAZ2 perform their role by cooperating with a "repressor" protein called TOPLESS. TOPLESS acts as a brake on unwanted gene activity that would otherwise halt sperm and seed production.<br /><br />"We hope to further demystify the fascinating process - of how plants make the fertile sperm inside the pollen grains - that are essential for the vast majority of our food crop production," researchers emphasised.<br /><br />Such information may become increasingly important as we strive to breed superior crops that maintain yield in a changing climate, scientists concluded in a study published in the journal Plant Cell.</p>