A study of the metabolic pathways of H(3)-thymidine utilization in buds of Lilium longiflorum and root tips of Vicia faba was undertaken in order to obtain information that might explain the binding of H(3) from H(3)-thymidine in the cytoplasm of these plants. H(3)-thymidine was administered for various periods of time, the tissues were fixed and processed in the manner routinely used in prepar...

In flowering plants, the two sperm cells are embedded within the cytoplasm of the growing pollen tube and as such are passively transported to the embryo sac, wherein double fertilization occurs upon their release. Understanding the mechanisms and conditions by which male gametes mature and take part in fertilization are crucial goals in the study of plant reproduction. Studies of gene expressi...

Ratio images of cytosolic Ca2+ (Ca2+i) in growing, fura-2-dextran-loaded Lilium longiflorum pollen tubes taken at 3to 5-sec intervals showed that the tip-focused [Ca2+Ii gradient oscillates with the same period as growth. Similarly, measurement of the extracellular inward current, using a noninvasive ion-selective vibrating probe, indicated that the tipdirected extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o) curren...

Exhibiting rapid polarized growth, the pollen tube delivers the male gametes into the ovule for fertilization in higher plants. To get an overall picture of gene expression during pollen germination and pollen tube growth, we profiled the transcription patterns of 1,536 pollen cDNAs from lily (Lilium longiflorum) by microarray. Among those that exhibited significant differential expression, a c...

Detached pistils of Lilium longiflorum were labeled with d-glucose-U-(14)C 24 hours after anthesis and then sampled for the next 6 days to determine the appearance of label into exudate from the stylar canal and the stigmatic surface of the pistil. Results were obtained with unpollinated cv. Ace pistils and pollinated cv. Ace pistils, selfed or crossed (cv. Croft pollen). Limited data were also...

The actin cytoskeleton is critical for tip growth in plants. Profilin is the main monomer actin binding protein in plant cells. The moss Physcomitrella patens has three profilin genes, which are monophyletic, suggesting a single ancestor for plant profilins. Here, we used RNA interference (RNAi) to determine the loss-of-function phenotype of profilin. Reduction of profilin leads to a complete l...