Investigation of the metabolome and the transcriptome of pollen of lily (Lilium longiflorum) gave a comprehensive overview of metabolic pathways active during pollen germination and tube growth. More than 100 different metabolites were determined simultaneously by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and expressed genes of selected metabolic pathways were identified by next-generati...

Pollen tubes are used as a model in the study of plant morphogenesis, cellular differentiation, cell wall biochemistry, biomechanics, and intra- and intercellular signaling. For a "systems-understanding" of the bio-chemo-mechanics of tip-polarized growth in pollen tubes, the need for a versatile, experimental assay platform for quantitative data collection and analysis is critical. We introduce...

LLA23, an abscisic acid-, stress-, and ripening-induced protein, was previously isolated from lily (Lilium longiflorum) pollen. The expression of LLA23 is induced under the application of abscisic acid (ABA), NaCl, or dehydration. To provide evidence on the biological role of LLA23 proteins against drought, we used an overexpression approach in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Constitutive o...

Microelectrodes, made from a Cl(-)-selective liquid ion exchanger previously used to measure putative Cl- fluxes in Lilium longiflorum pollen tubes, were characterized. The electrodes were poorly selective, possessing only about 10-fold selectivity for Cl- over other anions tested. They had only 2.4-fold selectivity for Cl- over the anionic form of the H+ buffer, MES, indicating that the electr...

The ABC model for floral development was proposed more than 10 years ago and since then many studies have been performed on model species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Antirrhinum majus, and many other species in order to confirm this hypothesis. This led to additional information on flower development and to more complex molecular models. AGAMOUS (AG) is the only C type gene in Arabidopsis an...

The myo-inositol oxidation pathway was investigated in regard to its role as a source of carbon for products of hexose monophosphate metabolism in germinated pollen of Lilium longiflorum Thunb., cv. Ace. myo-[2-(14)]Inositol and d-[1-(14)C]glucuronate had similar distributions of radioactivity, contributing about three times more label to polysaccharide-bound glucose than myo-[2-(3)H]inositol. ...

Experiments were carried out on four cell types: Chlorella sp., Tetraselmis sp., and mesophyll protoplasts of Dendrobium and Lilium longiflorum. The speed of cell translation in between a pair of cylindrical electrodes was measured at different solution conductivities (σs). For each field frequency, the speed was plotted against the gradient of electric field squared to obtain the real part Re[...

Three cDNAs showing a high degree of homology to the SQUA subfamily of MADS box genes were isolated and characterized from the lily (Lilium longiflorum). Lily MADS Box Gene 5 (LMADS5) showed high sequence identity to oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) SQUAMOSA3 (EgSQUA3). LMADS6 is closely related to LMADS5 whereas LMADS7 is more related to DOMADS2, an orchid (Dendrobium) gene in the SQUA subfamily. ...

Two AGL2-like MADS-box genes, Lily MADS Box Gene (LMADS) 3 and LMADS4, with extensive homology of LMADS3 to the Arabidopsis SEPALLATA3 were characterized from the lily (Lilium longiflorum). Both LMADS3 and LMADS4 mRNA were detected in the inflorescence meristem, in floral buds of different developmental stages, and in all four whorls of the flower organ. LMADS4 mRNA is also expressed in vegetat...

To allow successful germination and growth of a pollen tube, mature and dehydrated pollen grains (PGs) take up water and have to adjust their turgor pressure according to the water potential of the surrounding stigma surface. The turgor pressure of PGs of lily (Lilium longiflorum) was measured with a modified pressure probe for simultaneous recordings of turgor pressure and membrane potential t...