Apoplastic system of the gynoecium and embryo sac in relation to function

This article addresses the gynoecium and embryo sac from a fresh viewpoint, that is, in terms of the apoplastic system involved in the pistil and its putative functions in sexual processes. This system includes the extracellular matrix of the pollen tube track and particularly the micropyle and synergids, the intercellular space between the cells of the female germ unit, and the apoplast surrounding the embryo sac. Most of the data cited are research results established during the last decade, mainly from ultrastructural and cytochemical observations, which give interesting and important information about the apoplastic system concerned.