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Science 18 March 1994:
Vol. 263. no. 5153, pp. 1598 - 1600
DOI: 10.1126/science.263.5153.1598
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Articles

An in Vitro System for Adhesion and Fusion of Maize Gametes

J. -E. Faure 1, C. Digonnet 1, and C. Dumas 1

1 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Reconnaissance Cellulaire et Amélioration des Plantes, UMR, CNRS—Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France

The development of in vitro fertilization systems in flowering plants is important for understanding and controlling the mechanisms of fertilization. Here a method is described in which isolated maize gametes fuse. In a medium containing 5 mM calcium chloride, sperm and egg cells adhere for several minutes and then fuse within 10 seconds. The method is specific to male-female gamete pairs and results in 80 percent fusion, whereas fusions with other combinations of gametic and mesophyllic cells are less frequent. Eggs fertilized in vitro do not fuse with additional male gametes, which suggests that a block to polyspermy exists.

Submitted on October 22, 1993
Accepted on January 21, 1994


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