part of megagametophyte synergid cell 2017-09-28T11:03:21Z BTO:0006121 BrendaTissueOBO Marion, contact@brenda-enzymes.org Synergid cells are two specialized cells that lie adjacent to the egg cell in the female gametophyte of angiosperms and play an essential role in pollen tube guidance and function. The term synergid comes from the Greek synergos, which means working together and was reportedly coined by Eduard Strasburger, a famous 19th century botanist who was one of the first to note that these cells somehow assist fertilization of the egg.