This article is devoted to the study of the double fertilization mechanism in plants, in particular of
the maize gamete membrane fusion genes. We detected and analyzed for the first time gamete-fusion genes
in the maize genome. Using the BLAST program, we searched for the hap2 gene (generative cell specific 1
(gcs1)) homologs from Arabidopsis in the maize genome. The ZM_BFb0162K03 maize transcript was found,
which had 67% identity to the Athap2 gene and contained a conserved region similar to the Athap2 gene fragment.
In mRNA samples from the haploid-inducing and control maize lines, an PCR was conducted by using
primers specific to the ZM_BFb0162K03 sequence fragment. Sequences of the PCR products from a fragment
(1467 bp) of the Zm_hap2 gene of the haploid-inducing and the control maize lines were identical and
also were identical to the maize sequences from the GenBank (ZM_BFb0162K03). PCR products (656 bp
region of Zm_hap2) for the ZM_BFb0162K03 (1925 bp) maize sequence were observed for the cDNA of pollen
grains, ovary, leaves, and roots of the haploid-inducing and control maize lines. Using the Blastx program,
we found significant homology of the maize translated proteins to the GEX2, TET11, and TET12 proteins,
involved in Arabidopsis gamete-fusion contacts.
Arabidopsis Carrier Proteins