Successful fertilization of the ovule is, among others, dependent on the synergid cells, which are releasing chemoattractants to guide the pollen tube to the ovule. In my PhD project, I will investigate the premature degeneration of the synergid cells during heat stress on a genetic and molecular level. I hypothesize that this premature degeneration is due to premature activation of the programmed cell death pathway involving a protein phosphorylation cascade and resulting in ROS-production. Based on this, I am assessing the involvement and function of several serine/threonine kinases and doing this by phenotyping the ovule structure and the synergid cell function in the corresponding mutants under heat stress condition. Subsequently, I will find the targets of the kinases under investigation by conducting phosphoproteomic assays. In addition, I am 39 also monitoring the impact of heat stress to the female gametophyte (FG) development using various biosensors and FG markers. With my PhD project, I aim to identify involved pathways ensuring synergid cell fitness and function during heat stress as well as to define the main impact of heat stress on the FG development.