Female gametogenesis and early seed development in <em>Amaranthus hypochondriacus</em> L.

5. Female gametogenesis and early seed formation in plants

The formation of reproductive organs is a defining characteristic of sexual reproduction in flowering plants. Unlike animals, plants do not establish a germline early in development. In flowering species, specific somatic cells present in sexual reproductive organs divide by meiosis and differentiate haploid precursors (named spores) that undergo several mitotic divisions before giving rise to ...

PKC Regulation of Gametogenesis and Early Development

The protein kinase C (PKC) family is comprised of 11 isotypes and many can exist in a single cell simultaneously. There are three general categories of PKC based on their cofactor requirements for activation: The conventional, novel, and atypical PKCs. The first category, the conventional PKC isotypes, are PKC┙, -┚I, -┚II, and -┛ and are activated by diacylglycerol (DAG), and negatively charged...

Inhibins in female and male reproductive physiology: role in gametogenesis, conception, implantation and early pregnancy.

A great deal of new information has arisen in the recent years concerning inhibin physiology and clinical relevance in reproductive medicine. It is now recognized that the two inhibin isoforms, named inhibin A and inhibin B, are produced by the gonads in the course of gamete maturation and in women have a different pattern of secretion throughout the menstrual cycle. Since inhibins are also pro...

Ecophysiology of Development: Gametogenesis

Gametogenesis and Auxospore Development in Actinocyclus (Bacillariophyta)

cGametogenesis and auxospore development have been studied in detail in surprisingly few centric diatoms. We studied the development of sperm, eggs and auxospores in Actinocyclus sp., a radially symmetrical freshwater diatom collected from Japan, using LM and electron microscopy of living cultures and thin sections. Actinocyclus represents a deep branch of the 'radial centric' diatoms and shoul...