What Seduces Megaspore?

    Before actually entering into details, let us take you to secondary school where you might have studied the process of megaspore formation (megasporogenesis). During megasporogenesis megaspore mother cell (MMC) undergoes meiosis to produce four haploid cells called ‘megaspores’. Depending upon the pattern of cell plate and haploid cell formation it can be monosporic, bisporic or tetrasporic. 70% of angiospermic plants are monosporic (also called polygonum type), where out of four uninucleate megaspore, three degenerates resulting to a single functional megaspore (FM). It is well established that the functional megaspore then undergoes further process to form female gametophyte. However, the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms that determine the specification and fate of haploid cells remain unknown.