T H E waxy (wx) locus in maize conditions the type of starch which is synthesized in the triploid endosperm and in the haploid pollen grain. Further, the phenotype of a pollen grain is determined by its own genotype and not by that of the plant which produces the pollen grain (BRINK and MACGILLIVRAY 1924) and (DEMEREC 1924). This makes it possible to use the pollen grain as the unit of observat...

Camellia sasanqua pollen that had been soaked in acetone or diethyl ether for only 5 minutes grew three to four times longer pollen tubes than unsoaked pollen. Although the acceleration of pollen tube growth was observed when the pollen had been soaked in cold solvents (5 C, -15 C) for 100 days, soaking in warm solvents (30 C, 24 C) caused it to decrease gradually, and the pollen eventually los...

The male gametophyte of Arabidopsis is a three-celled pollen grain that is thought to contain almost all the mRNAs needed for germination and rapid pollen tube growth. We generated a reference map of the Arabidopsis mature pollen proteome by using multiple protein extraction techniques followed by 2-DE and ESI-MS/MS. We identified 135 distinct proteins from a total of 179 protein spots. We foun...

The typically distinctive and elaborate external structures and sculpturing of pollen grains have been widely used in the taxonomy and systematics of the flowering plants. The family Acanthaceae is a striking example, where the widely diverse external pollen grain morphology has proved useful in determining relationships between taxa. Detailed information for external pollen wall morphology has...

Pollen allergens offer a dual perspective of study: some of them are considered key proteins for pollen physiology, but they are also able to trigger allergy symptoms in susceptible humans after coming in contact with their tissues. Profilin (Ole e 2 allergen) has been characterized, to some extent, as one of the major allergens from Olea europaea L. pollen, a highly allergenic species in the M...

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are structurally complex plasma membrane and cell wall proteoglycans that are implicated in diverse developmental processes, including plant sexual reproduction. Male gametogenesis (pollen grain development) is fundamental to plant sexual reproduction. The role of two abundant, pollen-specific AGPs, AGP6, and AGP11, have been investigated here. The pollen specifi...

Single pollen grain polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has succeeded in several species, however only limited numbers of pollen grains were involved due to difficulties in pollen isolation and lysis. This has limited its application in genetic analysis and mapping studies in plants. A high-throughput (HT) procedure for collecting and detecting genetic variation in a large number of individual poll...

INTRODUCTION ' The extremely reduced, three-celled, haploid male plant (male gametophyte) of flowering plants has a number of specialized functions to perform. The primary functions are the production of two sperm cells and their transport within the pollen tube through the tissues of the style and ovary into the embryo sac in the ovule, where they participate in double fertilization. The early...

The organization of microtubules in germinated pollen of the conifer Picea abies (Norway spruce, Pinaceae) was examined using primarily confocal microscopy. Pollination in conifers differs from angiosperms in the number of mitotic divisions between the microspore and the sperm and in the growth rate of the pollen tube. These differences may be orchestrated by the cytoskeleton, and this study fi...

images inspired by the remarkable twists and turns in the shape of pollen grains from different plant species collected by the artist from specimens growing in the gardens' cornfield last summer. Kessler was awarded a three-year grant to work with Madeline Harley at the Micromorphology Unit at Kew. The remarkable shapes of pollen grains reveal important diagnostic features of plants used by sci...