背景回顾：Following fertilization in flowering plants (angiosperms), egg and sperm cells unite to form the zygote, which generates an entire new organism through a process called embryogenesis. 

主要研究：In this review, we provide a comparative perspective on early zygotic embryogenesisin flowering plants by using the Poaceae maize and rice as monocot grass and crop models as well as Arabidopsisas a eudicot model of the Brassicaceae family. 

结果1-合子激活和父母本贡献：Beginning with the activation of the egg cell, we summarize and discuss the process of maternal-to-zygotic transition in plants, also taking recent work on parthenogenesis and haploid induction into consideration. Aspects like imprinting, which is mainly associated with endosperm development and somatic embryogenesis, are not considered. Controversial findings about the timing of zygotic genome activation as well as maternal versus paternal contribution to zygote and early embryo development are highlighted. 

结果2-合子极性、不对称分布及顶/基细胞系建立：The establishment of zygotic polarity, asymmetric division, and apical and basal cell lineages represents another chapter in which we also examine and compare the role of major signaling pathways, cell fate genes, and hormones in early embryogenesis. 

结果3-被子植物干细胞龛：Except for the model Arabidopsis, little is known about embryo patterning and the establishment of the basic body plan in angiosperms. Using available in situ hybridization, RNA-sequencing, and marker data, we try to compare how and when stem cell niches are established. 

结果4-被子植物胚胎发生的演化视角：Finally, evolutionary aspects of plant embryo development are discussed.

 摘 要 

有花植物，即被子植物在受精之后，卵细胞和精细胞形成合子，而合子再经过胚胎发生这一发育过程后，形成一个独立的生物个体。本文中，作者基于玉米和水稻等单子叶植物以及拟南芥等双子叶植物，系统综述了被子植物早期合子胚胎发生的特征。随着卵细胞的激活，作者总结并讨论了植物中母本组织向合子的转变，同时也考虑了最有关单性生殖和单倍体诱导的工作。至于印记等方面，这主要是与胚乳发育和体细胞胚胎发生有关，作者在本文中未深入探讨。作者主要讨论了有关合子基因组激活的时间以及母本与父本对合子和早期胚胎发育的贡献等争议性问题。合子极性、不对称分裂、以及顶/基细胞谱系的建立，这些是作者所关心的另一方面，在这些问题上，作者研究并比较了主要信号转导通路、细胞命运基因和激素在早期胚胎发生中的作用。除了模式植物物种拟南芥外，目前对被子植物的胚胎发生模式和基本体轴的建立还所知不多。此外，利用已有的原位杂交、RNA测序和标记数据，作者尝试比较的干细胞龛是如何以及何时建立的。最后，作者讨论了有关植物胚胎发育演化方面的问题。