About this Research Topic
Note: Dr. Dabing Zhang passed away in June 2023 during the development of this Research Topic. Frontiers in Plant Science and the other editors, Drs. Liangzi Zhou and Kevin Begcy, express their sadness over this news and their gratitude at having been able to work with Dr. Zhang.
Poaceae, commonly known as grasses, is a large family of monocot flowering plants including about 12,000 species which can be classified into nearly 800 genera and 12 subfamilies. Among these subfamilies, three are economically of vital importance for humans: the Pooideae (including wheat, barley, oats, and Brachypodium), Ehrhartoideae (including rice), and Panicoideae (including maize, sorghum, sugarcane, and millets). These domesticated cereal crops provide not only more than half of the human dietary energy but also contribute to animal feed and biofuel production. Given their importance, there is undoubtedly a need to stabilize and further increase the yield and quality of these cereal crops.
The prerequisite of grain production is a successful fertilization. This complex biological process with fine-tuning regulation in each step provides opportunities for investigating fundamental principles in plant biology. Male and female gametophytes are generated separately during germline initiation and later meet to launch the progamic phase where the sperm cell is delivered into the embryo sac via multiple signals. What follows is the interaction and fusion of gametes that leads to embryogenesis for grain production.
In the last decades, studies on germline development and fertilization mechanisms of different Poaceae species brought new perspectives in understanding the complexities of this biological process. While much of the information was found useful for yield and quality improvement of cereal crops, the diverse regulatory mechanisms during fertilization in different cereal crops were noted. This Research Topic is therefore aimed to highlight different aspects of male and female gametogenesis and exquisite regulation of fertilization in different Poaceae species. We expect to gather novel knowledge and new techniques to study germline development and fertilization in this article collection. Original research, methods, review, and perspective paper on the following sub-themes are welcome but not limited to:
-Germline initiation
-Male and female gametogenesis
-Pollen-stigma interaction
-Multiple steps of pollen tube guidance
-Gamete interaction and fusion
Please note that descriptive studies will not be considered for review unless they are expanded and provide mechanistic and/or physiological insights into the biological system or process being studied.
Poaceae, commonly known as grasses, is a large family of monocot flowering plants including about 12,000 species which can be classified into nearly 800 genera and 12 subfamilies. Among these subfamilies, three are economically of vital importance for humans: the Pooideae (including wheat, barley, oats, and Brachypodium), Ehrhartoideae (including rice), and Panicoideae (including maize, sorghum, sugarcane, and millets). These domesticated cereal crops provide not only more than half of the human dietary energy but also contribute to animal feed and biofuel production. Given their importance, there is undoubtedly a need to stabilize and further increase the yield and quality of these cereal crops.
The prerequisite of grain production is a successful fertilization. This complex biological process with fine-tuning regulation in each step provides opportunities for investigating fundamental principles in plant biology. Male and female gametophytes are generated separately during germline initiation and later meet to launch the progamic phase where the sperm cell is delivered into the embryo sac via multiple signals. What follows is the interaction and fusion of gametes that leads to embryogenesis for grain production.
In the last decades, studies on germline development and fertilization mechanisms of different Poaceae species brought new perspectives in understanding the complexities of this biological process. While much of the information was found useful for yield and quality improvement of cereal crops, the diverse regulatory mechanisms during fertilization in different cereal crops were noted. This Research Topic is therefore aimed to highlight different aspects of male and female gametogenesis and exquisite regulation of fertilization in different Poaceae species. We expect to gather novel knowledge and new techniques to study germline development and fertilization in this article collection. Original research, methods, review, and perspective paper on the following sub-themes are welcome but not limited to:
-Germline initiation
-Male and female gametogenesis
-Pollen-stigma interaction
-Multiple steps of pollen tube guidance
-Gamete interaction and fusion
Please note that descriptive studies will not be considered for review unless they are expanded and provide mechanistic and/or physiological insights into the biological system or process being studied.
Keywords: gametogenesis, germline development, gamete interaction, fertilization, Poaceae
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
