Dimethyl Sulfoxide: Reversible Inhibitor of Pollen Tube Growth

Regulation of pollen tube growth

Ions and Pollen Tube Growth

Ions play a crucial role in the control of pollen tube growth. In this review we focus on four that seem especially important: calcium (Ca2+), protons (H+), potassium (K+), and chloride (Cl–). Ca2+ in the extracellular medium is essential for growth; it forms a steep intracellular tip-focused gradient, and exhibits a prominent extracellular tip-directed Ca2+ influx. pH is also essential for gro...

Regulation of Pollen Tube Growth by Transglutaminase.

In pollen tubes, cytoskeleton proteins are involved in many aspects of pollen germination and growth, from the transport of sperm cells to the asymmetrical distribution of organelles to the deposition of cell wall material. These activities are based on the dynamics of the cytoskeleton. Changes to both actin filaments and microtubules are triggered by specific proteins, resulting in different o...

DFT study of dimers of dimethyl sulfoxide in gas phase

Density functional (DFT) calculations at M05-2x/aug-cc-pVDZ level were used to analyze the interactions between dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) dimers. The structures obtained have been analyzed with the Atoms in Molecules (AIMs) and Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) methodologies. Four minima were located on the potential energy surface of the dimers. Three types of interactions are observed, CH•••O, CH•••...

Pollen-specific pectin methylesterase involved in pollen tube growth.

Pollen tube elongation in the pistil is a crucial step in the sexual reproduction of plants. Because the wall of the pollen tube tip is composed of a single layer of pectin and, unlike most other plant cell walls, does not contain cellulose or callose, pectin methylesterases (PMEs) likely play a central role in the pollen tube growth and determination of pollen tube morphology. Thus, the functi...