Villin controls the formation and enlargement of punctate actin foci in pollen tubes

AbstractPollen tube elongation is characterized by a highly-polarized tip growth process dependent on an efficient vesicular transport system and largely mobilized by actin cytoskeleton. Pollen tubes are an ideal model system to study exocytosis, endocytosis, membrane recycling, and signaling network coordinating cellular processes, structural organization and vesicular trafficking activities required for tip growth. Proteomic analysis was applied to identifyNicotiana tabacumDifferentially Abundant Proteins (DAPs) after in vitro pollen tube treatment with membrane trafficking inhibitors Brefeldin A, Ikarugamycin and Wortmannin. Among roughly 360 proteins separated in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, a total of 40 spots visibly changing between treated and control samples were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and LC–ESI–MS/MS analysis. The identified proteins were classified according to biological processes, and most proteins were related to pollen tube energy metabolism, including ammino acid synthesis and lipid metabolism, structural features of pollen tube growth as well modification and actin cytoskeleton organization, stress response, and protein degradation. In-depth analysis of proteins corresponding to energy-related pathways revealed the male gametophyte to be a reliable model of energy reservoir and dynamics.

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Do s genes or deleterious recessives control late-acting self-incompatibility in Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae)? A diallel study with four full sib progeny arrays

Annals of Botany ◽

10.1093/aob/mcab031 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marta B Bianchi ◽

Thomas R Meagher ◽

Peter E Gibbs

Keyword(s):

Genetic Control ◽

Inbreeding Depression ◽

Fruit Set ◽

Genetic Model ◽

Pollen Tubes ◽

Self Incompatibility ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Partial Embryo ◽

Ovule Penetration ◽

S Genes

Abstract Background and Aims Genetically controlled self-incompatibility (SI) mechanisms constrain selfing and thus have contributed to the evolutionary diversity of flowering plants. In homomorphic gametophytic SI (GSI) and homomorphic sporophytic SI (SSI), genetic control is usually by a single multi-allelic locus S. Both GSI and SSI prevent self pollen tubes reaching the ovary and so are pre-zygotic in action. In contrast, in taxa with late-acting self-incompatibility (LSI), rejection is often post-zygotic, since self-pollen tubes grow to the ovary where fertilization may occur prior to floral abscission. Alternatively, lack of self fruit set could be due to early-acting inbreeding depression (EID). The aim of our study was to investigate mechanisms underlying lack of selfed fruit set in Handroanthus heptaphyllus in order to assess the likelihood of LSI versus EID. Methods We employed four full sib diallels to study the genetic control of LSI in Handroanthus heptaphyllus using a precociously flowering variant. We also used fluorescence microscopy to study the incidence of ovule penetration by pollen tubes in pistils that abscised following pollination or initiated fruits. Key Results All diallels showed reciprocally cross-incompatible full-sibs (RCI), reciprocally cross compatible full-sibs (RCC), and non-reciprocally compatible full-sibs (NRC) in almost equal proportions. There was no significant difference between the incidence of ovule penetrations in abscised pistils following self- and cross-incompatible pollinations, but those in successful cross pollinations were around twofold greater. Conclusions A genetic model postulating a single S locus with four s alleles, one of which, in the maternal parent, is dominant to the other three, will produce RCI, RCC and NRC situations each at 33 %, consistent with our diallel results. We favour this simple genetic control over an early-acting inbreeding depression (EID) explanation since none of our pollinations, successful or unsuccessful, resulted in partial embryo development, as would be expected under a whole genome EID effect.

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Note on visual distinction of fluorescent callose of pollen tubes and of sieve tubes in stylar tissue ofBrassica and its allies

Euphytica ◽

10.1007/bf01904217 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 379-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

M. Chu Chou ◽

D. J. Harberd

Keyword(s):

Pollen Tubes ◽

Sieve Tubes

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Hyperoside promotes pollen tube growth by regulating the depolymerization effect of actin-depolymerizing factor 1 on microfilaments in okra

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00578-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Biying Dong ◽

Qing Yang ◽

Zhihua Song ◽

Lili Niu ◽

Hongyan Cao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pollen Tube ◽

Pollen Tube Growth ◽

Pollen Germination ◽

Pollen Tubes ◽

Tube Growth ◽

Actin Depolymerizing Factor ◽

Specific Mechanism ◽

Promoting Effect ◽

New Research

AbstractMature pollen germinates rapidly on the stigma, extending its pollen tube to deliver sperm cells to the ovule for fertilization. The success of this process is an important factor that limits output. The flavonoid content increased significantly during pollen germination and pollen tube growth, which suggests it may play an important role in these processes. However, the specific mechanism of this involvement has been little researched. Our previous research found that hyperoside can prolong the flowering period of Abelmoschus esculentus (okra), but its specific mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we focused on the effect of hyperoside in regulating the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF), which further affects the germination and growth of pollen. We found that hyperoside can prolong the effective pollination period of okra by 2–3-fold and promote the growth of pollen tubes in the style. Then, we used Nicotiana benthamiana cells as a research system and found that hyperoside accelerates the depolymerization of intercellular microfilaments. Hyperoside can promote pollen germination and pollen tube elongation in vitro. Moreover, AeADF1 was identified out of all AeADF genes as being highly expressed in pollen tubes in response to hyperoside. In addition, hyperoside promoted AeADF1-mediated microfilament dissipation according to microfilament severing experiments in vitro. In the pollen tube, the gene expression of AeADF1 was reduced to 1/5 by oligonucleotide transfection. The decrease in the expression level of AeADF1 partially reduced the promoting effect of hyperoside on pollen germination and pollen tube growth. This research provides new research directions for flavonoids in reproductive development.

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Application of time-series regularity metrics to ion flux data from a population of pollen tubes

Communicative & Integrative Biology ◽

10.1080/19420889.2021.1899574 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 51-54

Author(s):

Mariusz A. Pietruszka

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Pollen Tubes ◽

Ion Flux ◽

Flux Data

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Testing of self-(in)compatibility in apricot cultivars from European breeding programmes

Horticultural Science ◽

10.17221/219/2012-hortsci ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 40 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 65-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

D. Milatović ◽

D. Nikolić ◽

B. Krška

Keyword(s):

Fluorescence Microscopy ◽

Pollen Tube ◽

Pollen Tube Growth ◽

Reliable Method ◽

Pollen Tubes ◽

Tube Growth ◽

Self Incompatibility ◽

Breeding Programmes

Self-(in)compatibility was tested in 40 new apricot cultivars from European breeding programmes. Pollen-tube growth in pistils from laboratory pollinations was analysed using the fluorescence microscopy. Cultivars were considered self-compatible if at least one pollen tube reached the ovary in the majority of pistils. Cultivars were considered self- incompatible if the growth of pollen tubes in the style stopped along with formation of characteristic swellings. Of the examined cultivars, 18 were self-compatible and 22 were self-incompatible. Fluorescence microscopy provides a relatively rapid and reliable method to determine self-incompatibility in apricot cultivars.      

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