gametes

=1373977447= toc = Definition: = Cells that unite at conception (ova in females; sperm in males), p.49 HGD Chapter 3, pp. 49-50

Related to:
Chromosomes Genes DNA Zygote

= Examples: =







= Analogies: = A gamete is to a zygote as the left shoe is to a pair of shoes.

Much like DNA, a gamete is a "blueprint" of the sex cell. Combined, they make you to be the unique individual that you are.

= Mnemonics: = A gamete is a sperm or ovum that will MEET at conception.

=In the News:[|HAP2(GCS1)-Dependent Gamete Fusion Requires a Positively Charged Carboxy-Terminal Domain]= HAP2(GCS1) is a deeply conserved sperm protein that is essential for gamete fusion. Here we use complementation assays to define major functional regions of the //Arabidopsis thaliana// ortholog using HAP2(GCS1) variants with modifications to regions amino(N) and carboxy(C) to its single transmembrane domain. These quantitative in vivo complementation studies show that the N-terminal region tolerates exchange with a closely related sequence, but not with a more distantly related plant sequence. In contrast, a distantly related C-terminus is functional in Arabidopsis, indicating that the primary sequence of the C-terminus is not critical. However, mutations that neutralized the charge of the C-terminus impair HAP2(GCS1)-dependent gamete fusion. Our results provide data identifying the essential functional features of this highly conserved sperm fusion protein. They suggest that the N-terminus functions by interacting with female gamete-expressed proteins and that the positively charged C-terminus may function through electrostatic interactions with the sperm plasma membrane.

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