Pollen tube growth requires a Ca2+ gradient, with elevated levels of cytosolic Ca2+ at the growing tip. This gradient's magnitude oscillates with growth oscillation but is always maintained. Ca2+ influx into the growing tip is necessary, and its magnitude also oscillates with growth. It has been widely assumed that stretch-activated Ca2+ channels underlie this influx, but such channels have nev...

ABP41 is identified as a novel member of plant villin/gelsolin/fragmin superfamily proteins from lily pollen, which binds stoichiometrically to actin filaments and severs them in vitro. To further understand its in-vivo function and the potential molecular mechanisms, biochemical analysis, fluorescence microscopic observation and microinjection assays were performed. Different biochemical measu...

The influence of three different pollen germination media on the transcript profile of Arabidopsis pollen tubes has been assessed by real-time PCR on a selection of cell wall related genes, and by a statistical analysis of microarray Arabidopsis pollen tube data sets. The qPCR assays have shown remarkable differences on the transcript levels of specific genes depending upon the formulation of t...

• Selenium (Se) hyperaccumulation has a profound effect on plant-arthropod interactions. Here, we investigated floral Se distribution and speciation in flowers and the effects of floral Se on pollen quality and plant-pollinator interactions. • Floral Se distribution and speciation were compared in Stanleya pinnata, an Se hyperaccumulator, and Brassica juncea, a comparable nonhyperaccumulator. P...

Effect of salinity on pollen viability, germination and yield was investigated on 8 canola cvs. Dunkled, Canola-III, Oscar, Ganyou-5, Ganyou-2, Rainbow, Abasin-95 and Westar. Plants were irrigated with non saline, 0.2% (E.C 2.5 dS.m). 0.4% (E.C 4.5 dS.m) and 0.6% (6.5 dS.m) of sea salt concentrations. Plant growth on vegetative as well as reproductive phases was proportionately inhibited with r...

Mature pollen from most plant species is metabolically quiescent; however, after pollination, it germinates quickly and gives rise to a pollen tube to transport sperms into the embryo sac. Because methods for collecting a large amount of in vitro germinated pollen grains for transcriptomics and proteomics studies from model plants of Arabidopsis and rice are not available, molecular information...

* The effects of actinomycin D and cycloheximide on RNA and protein synthesis were investigated during pollen tube development of Pinus bungeana. * RNA and protein contents, protein expression patterns, cell wall components and ultrastructural changes of pollen tubes were studied using spectrophotometry, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy and transmi...

• Sex ratio polymorphism has been extensively studied in Silene latifolia, but it is neither known whether inbreeding (which is likely to occur under field conditions) affects it nor which of the proposed mechanisms (Y degeneration, X-linked drive) is more important. Both mechanisms predict reduced pollen performance. • In this study, females were crossed with pollen from related and unrelated ...

MADS box genes encode transcription factors that play important regulatory roles at various stages in plant development. Transcripts encoding the MIKC*-type (for MADS DNA-binding domain, Intervening domain, Keratin-like domain, and C-terminal domain) factors, a divergent clade, are enriched in mature pollen. Previous studies have shown that these proteins bind DNA as heterodimers, which form be...

All cells respond to osmotic challenges, including those imposed during normal growth and development. Mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels provide a conserved mechanism for regulating osmotic forces by conducting ions in response to increased membrane tension. We previously demonstrated that the MS ion channel MscS-Like 8 (MSL8) is required for pollen to survive multiple osmotic challenges that ...