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Plant Reproduction Jun 2016Phosphoinositides in pollen. In angiosperms, sexual reproduction is a series of complex biological events that facilitate the distribution of male generative cells for... (Review)
Review
Phosphoinositides in pollen. In angiosperms, sexual reproduction is a series of complex biological events that facilitate the distribution of male generative cells for double fertilization. Angiosperms have no motile gametes, and the distribution units of generative cells are pollen grains, passively mobile desiccated structures, capable of delivering genetic material to compatible flowers over long distances and in an adverse environment. The development of pollen (male gametogenesis) and the formation of a pollen tube after a pollen grain has reached a compatible flower (pollen tube growth) are important aspects of plant developmental biology. In recent years, a wealth of information has been gathered about the molecular control of cell polarity, membrane trafficking and cytoskeletal dynamics underlying these developmental processes. In particular, it has been found that regulatory membrane phospholipids, such as phosphoinositides (PIs), are critical regulatory players, controlling key steps of trafficking and polarization. Characteristic features of PIs are the inositol phosphate headgroups of the lipids, which protrude from the cytosolic surfaces of membranes, enabling specific binding and recruitment of numerous protein partners containing specific PI-binding domains. Such recruitment is globally an early event in polarization processes of eukaryotic cells and also of key importance to pollen development and tube growth. Additionally, PIs serve as precursors of other signaling factors with importance to male gametogenesis. This review highlights the recent advances about the roles of PIs in pollen development and pollen function.
Topics: Actins; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; Phosphatidylinositols; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Pollen Tube; Protein Transport; trans-Golgi Network
PubMed: 26676144
DOI: 10.1007/s00497-015-0270-6 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Apr 2020Pollen tubes rapidly elongate, penetrate, and navigate through multiple female tissues to reach ovules for sperm delivery by utilizing a specialized form of polar growth... (Review)
Review
Pollen tubes rapidly elongate, penetrate, and navigate through multiple female tissues to reach ovules for sperm delivery by utilizing a specialized form of polar growth known as tip growth. This process requires a battery of cellular activities differentially occurring at the apical growing region of the plasma membrane (PM), such as the differential cellular signaling involving calcium (Ca2+), phospholipids, and ROP-type Rho GTPases, fluctuation of ions and pH, exocytosis and endocytosis, and cell wall construction and remodeling. There is an emerging understanding of how at least some of these activities are coordinated and/or interconnected. The apical active ROP modulates exocytosis to the cell apex for PM and cell wall expansion differentially occurring at the tip. The differentiation of the cell wall involves at least the preferential distribution of deformable pectin polymers to the apex and non-deformable pectin polymers to the shank of pollen tubes, facilitating the apical cell expansion driven by high internal turgor pressure. Recent studies have generated inroads into how the ROP GTPase-based intracellular signaling is coordinated spatiotemporally with the external wall mechanics to maintain the tubular cell shape and how the apical cell wall mechanics are regulated to allow rapid tip growth while maintaining the cell wall integrity under the turgor pressure. Evidence suggests that exocytosis and endocytosis play crucial but distinct roles in this spatiotemporal coordination. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the regulation and coordination of the differential pectin distribution and the apical domain of active ROP by exocytosis and endocytosis in pollen tubes.
Topics: Endocytosis; Exocytosis; Pectins; Plants; Pollen Tube; Signal Transduction; rho GTP-Binding Proteins
PubMed: 32173729
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa134 -
The New Phytologist Apr 2019Contents Summary 687 I. Introduction 687 II. Pollen tube membrane-localized receptors coordinate cell integrity and sperm release 689 III. RALF peptides mediate... (Review)
Review
Contents Summary 687 I. Introduction 687 II. Pollen tube membrane-localized receptors coordinate cell integrity and sperm release 689 III. RALF peptides mediate autocrine and paracrine signaling 689 IV. ROS and ion channel signaling mediate intracellular response 690 V. Involvements from pollen tube cell wall components 690 VI. Concluding remarks 691 Acknowledgements 692 Author contributions 692 References 692 SUMMARY: Unlike in animals, sperm in flowering plants are immotile and they are embraced as passive cargoes by a pollen tube which embarks on a long journey in the pistil to deliver them to the female gametophyte for fertilization. How the pollen tube switches from a rapid polarized growth towards its target to an abrupt disintegration for sperm cell release inside the female gametophyte is puzzling. Recent studies have shown that members of the Catharanthus roseus RLK1-like (CrRLK1L) receptor kinase family and their ligands, 5-kDa cysteine-rich peptide rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs), engage in an intricate balancing act involving autocrine and paracrine signaling to maintain pollen tube growth and induce timely tube rupture at the spatially confined pollen tube-female gametophyte interface. Here, we review recent progress related to pollen tube integrity control, mainly focusing on the molecular understanding of signaling as well as intracellular signaling nodes in Arabidopsis. Some missing links and future perspectives are also discussed.
Topics: Magnoliopsida; Peptides; Pollen Tube; Reactive Oxygen Species; Receptors, Cell Surface; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 30556141
DOI: 10.1111/nph.15645 -
Plant Reproduction Sep 2023During angiosperm sexual reproduction, pollen tubes must penetrate through multiple cell types in the pistil to mediate successful fertilization. Although this process...
During angiosperm sexual reproduction, pollen tubes must penetrate through multiple cell types in the pistil to mediate successful fertilization. Although this process is highly choreographed and requires complex chemical and mechanical signaling to guide the pollen tube to its destination, aspects of our understanding of pollen tube penetration through the pistil are incomplete. Our previous work demonstrated that disruption of the Arabidopsis thaliana O-FUCOSYLTRANSFERASE1 (OFT1) gene resulted in decreased pollen tube penetration through the stigma-style interface. Here, we demonstrate that second site mutations of Arabidopsis GALACTURONOSYLTRANSFERASE 14 (GAUT14) effectively suppress the phenotype of oft1 mutants, partially restoring silique length, seed set, pollen transmission, and pollen tube penetration deficiencies in navigating the female reproductive tract. These results suggest that disruption of pectic homogalacturonan (HG) synthesis can alleviate the penetrative defects associated with the oft1 mutant and may implicate pectic HG deposition in the process of pollen tube penetration through the stigma-style interface in Arabidopsis. These results also support a model in which OFT1 function directly or indirectly modifies structural features associated with the cell wall, with the loss of oft1 leading to an imbalance in the wall composition that can be compensated for by a reduction in pectic HG deposition.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Pollen Tube; Arabidopsis Proteins; Pollen
PubMed: 37222783
DOI: 10.1007/s00497-023-00468-5 -
Plant Physiology Jan 2023Degradation of starch accumulated in pollen provides energy and cellular materials for pollen germination and pollen tube elongation. Little is known about the function...
Degradation of starch accumulated in pollen provides energy and cellular materials for pollen germination and pollen tube elongation. Little is known about the function of cytosolic disproportionating enzyme2 (DPE2) in rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we obtained several DPE2 knockout mutant (dpe2) lines via genomic editing and found that the mutants grew and developed normally but with greatly reduced seed-setting rates. Reciprocal crosses between dpe2 and wild-type plants demonstrated that the mutant was male sterile. In vitro and in vivo examinations revealed that the pollen of the dpe2 mutant developed and matured normally but was defective in germination and elongation. DPE2 deficiency increased maltose content in pollen, whereas it reduced the levels of starch, glucose, fructose, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Exogenous supply of glucose or ATP to the germination medium partially rescued the pollen germination defects of dpe2. The expression of cytosolic phosphorylase2 (Pho2) increased significantly in dpe2 pollen. Knockout of Pho2 resulted in a semi-sterile phenotype. We failed to obtain homozygous dpe2 pho2 double mutant lines. Our results demonstrate that maltose catalyzed by DPE2 to glucose is the main energy source for pollen germination and pollen tube elongation, while Pho2 might partially compensate for deficiency of DPE2.
Topics: Pollen Tube; Oryza; Arabidopsis; Maltose; Pollen; Glucose; Starch; Germination
PubMed: 36282529
DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac496 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2020In flowering plants, each pollen tube delivers two sperm cells into the ovule to complete double fertilization. During the process, pollen tubes need to be navigated...
In flowering plants, each pollen tube delivers two sperm cells into the ovule to complete double fertilization. During the process, pollen tubes need to be navigated into the ovule, where accurate and complex pre-ovule guidance and ovule guidance are required. In recent years, different methods have been established to study those genes involved in the regulation of pollen tube guidance. Semi-in vivo ovule targeting mimics in vivo pollen tube micropylar guidance, and the semi-in vivo ovule targeting assay has been used to investigate function of genes involved in micropylar guidance. Moreover, the ovule targeting assay is the best way to do live cell imaging, which facilitates observation of pollen tube reception, synergid cell degeneration, and semi-in vivo gamete fusion. Meanwhile, semi-in vivo pollen tube attraction assay is another useful method to directly determine whether a certain molecule has pollen tube attraction activity.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Cell Tracking; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Ovule; Pollen Tube
PubMed: 32529430
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0672-8_6 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2019Self-incompatibility (SI) is a complex process, one out of several mechanisms that prevent plants from self-fertilizing to maintain and increase the genetic variability.... (Review)
Review
Self-incompatibility (SI) is a complex process, one out of several mechanisms that prevent plants from self-fertilizing to maintain and increase the genetic variability. This process leads to the rejection of the male gametophyte and requires the co-participation of numerous molecules. Plants have evolved two distinct SI systems, the sporophytic (SSI) and the gametophytic (GSI) systems. The two SI systems are markedly characterized by different genes and proteins and each single system can also be divided into distinct subgroups; whatever the mechanism, the purpose is the same, i.e., to prevent self-fertilization. In Malinae, a subtribe in the Rosaceae family, i.e., and , the GSI requires the production of female determinants, known as S-RNases, which penetrate the pollen tube to interact with the male determinants. Beyond this, the penetration of S-RNase into the pollen tube triggers a series of responses involving membrane proteins, such as phospholipases, intracellular variations of cytoplasmic Ca, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and altered enzymatic activities, such as that of transglutaminase (TGase). TGases are widespread enzymes that catalyze the post-translational conjugation of polyamines (PAs) to different protein targets and/or the cross-linking of substrate proteins leading to the formation of cross-linked products with high molecular mass. When actin and tubulin are the substrates, this destabilizes the cytoskeleton and inhibits the pollen-tube's growth process. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge of the relationship between S-RNase penetration, TGase activity and cytoskeleton function during GSI in the Malinae.
Topics: Cytoskeleton; Germ Cells, Plant; Pollen Tube; Rosaceae; Self-Incompatibility in Flowering Plants; Transglutaminases
PubMed: 30626063
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20010209 -
Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.) Jan 2022The pollen tube is fundamental in the reproduction of seed plants. Particularly in angiosperms, we now have much information about how it grows, how it senses... (Review)
Review
The pollen tube is fundamental in the reproduction of seed plants. Particularly in angiosperms, we now have much information about how it grows, how it senses extracellular signals, and how it converts them into a directional growth mechanism. The expansion of the pollen tube is also related to dynamic cytoplasmic processes based on the cytoskeleton (such as polymerization/depolymerization of microtubules and actin filaments) or motor activity along with the two cytoskeletal systems and is dependent on motor proteins. While a considerable amount of information is available for the actomyosin system in the pollen tube, the role of microtubules in the transport of organelles or macromolecular structures is still quite uncertain despite that 30 years ago the first work on the presence of kinesins in the pollen tube was published. Since then, progress has been made in elucidating the role of kinesins in plant cells. However, their role within the pollen tube is still enigmatic. In this review, I will postulate some roles of kinesins in the pollen tube 30 years after their initial discovery based on information obtained in other plant cells in the meantime. The most concrete hypotheses predict that kinesins in the pollen tube enable the short movement of specific organelles or contribute to generative cell or sperm cell transport, as well as mediate specific steps in the process of endocytosis.
Topics: Actomyosin; Kinesins; Microtubules; Pollen Tube; Seeds
PubMed: 35766009
DOI: 10.1002/cm.21713 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2020Detection of secreted proteins and peptides during pollen tube guidance has been impeded due to lack of techniques to capture the pollen tube secretome without...
Detection of secreted proteins and peptides during pollen tube guidance has been impeded due to lack of techniques to capture the pollen tube secretome without contamination from the female secreted proteins. Here we present a protocol to detect tobacco pollen tube secreted proteins, semi-in vivo pollen tube secretome assay (SIV-PS), following pollen tube crosstalk with the female reproductive tissues. This method combines the advantages of in vivo pollen tube-pistil interaction and filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) techniques to obtain an in-depth proteome coverage. The SIV-PS method is rapid, efficient, inexpensive, does not require specialized equipment or expertise, and provides a snapshot of the ongoing molecular interplay. We show that the secretome obtained is of greater purity (<1.4% ADH activities) and that pollen tubes are physiologically and cytologically unaffected. A compendium of quality controls is described and a rough guide on downstream bioinformatics analysis is outlined. The SIV-PS method is applicable to all studies of protein secretion using pollen tube as a model and can be easily adapted to other flowering species with modification. The overall duration for this protocol is approximately 8 hours spanning 4 days (an average of 2 h/day per two workers) excluding microscopy and LC-MS/MS analysis.
Topics: Chromatography, Liquid; Exocytosis; Magnoliopsida; Mass Spectrometry; Ovule; Plant Proteins; Pollen Tube; Proteome; Proteomics
PubMed: 32529428
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0672-8_4 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Feb 2018Successful fertilization depends on active molecular dialogues that the male gametophyte can establish with the pistil and the female gametophyte. Pollen grains and... (Review)
Review
Successful fertilization depends on active molecular dialogues that the male gametophyte can establish with the pistil and the female gametophyte. Pollen grains and stigmas must recognize each other; pollen tubes need to identify the pistil tissues they will penetrate, follow positional cues to exit the transmitting tract and finally, locate the ovules. These molecular dialogues directly affect pollen tube growth rate and orientation. Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are natural candidates for the perception and decoding of extracellular signals and their transduction to downstream cytoplasmic interactors. Here, we update knowledge regarding how RLKs are involved in pollen tube growth, cell wall integrity and guidance. In addition, we use public data to build a pollen tube RLK interactome that might help direct experiments to elucidate the function of pollen RLKs and their associated proteins.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Flowers; Ovule; Pollen; Pollen Tube; Pollination; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Receptors, Cell Surface
PubMed: 28992536
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2017.09.008