Pollen grains undergo dramatic changes in cellular water potential as they deliver the male germ line to female gametes, and it has been proposed that mechanosensitive ion channels may sense the resulting mechanical stress. Here, we identify and characterize MscS-like 8 (MSL8), a pollen-specific, membrane tension-gated ion channel required for pollen to survive the hypoosmotic shock of rehydrat...

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...

Actin cables in pollen tubes serve as molecular tracks for cytoplasmic streaming and organelle movement and are formed by actin bundling factors like villins and fimbrins. However, the precise mechanisms by which actin cables are generated and maintained remain largely unknown. Fimbrins comprise a family of five members in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we characterized a fimbrin isoform, Arabidop...

investigations were initiated this year to develop field and laboratory viability assays for stored walnut pollen, indentify conditions suitable for in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth, and determine pollen tube growth rates in pistillate flowers. Results of this project will provide background information for future investigations of transmission of pollen-borne virus, factors i...

Chemical fruit thinning has become a popular practice in modern fruit orchards for achieving high quality fruits, reducing costs of hand thinning and promoting return bloom. However, most of the suggested chemical thinners are often concerned for their detrimental effects and environmental problems. 5-Aminolevulic acid (ALA) is a natural, nontoxic, biodegradable, and environment-friendly plant ...

In vitro pollen germination was examined as a method to determine the mutagenic and physiological effects of environmental pollutants on higher organisms. Results were presented indicating that mutations could be distinguished by their in vitro germination characteristics if sporophytes homozygous for the mutated allele were tested. The addition of agents directly into the in vitro medium was s...

A study of the effects of different steroids on germination and tube growth of tobacco pollen (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Petit Havana SR1) matured in vitro is presented. Application of the mammalian steroid sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone, and estradiol) resulted in a stimulation of pollen germination and tube elongation. The presence of both steroids and flavonols in the germination med...

In order to determine the response of pollen to UV-B irradiation and cumulative effects of UV-B exposure time on pollen germination and tube growth, 19 taxa of higher plants were investigated in vitro concerning the exposure of pollen grains to two levels of enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-BBE) (280–320 nm, 350 and 500 mW/m biologically effective UV-B radiation) simulating 8 and 21% stratospheric oz...

Rho family small GTPases are universal signaling switches in the control of cell polarity in eukaryotic cells. Their polar distribution to the cell cortex is critical for the execution of their functions, yet the mechanism for this distribution is poorly understood. Using a yeast two-hybrid method, we identified RIP1 (ROP interactive partner 1), which belongs to a family of five members of nove...

BACKGROUND Mutations in several subunits of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) cause male transmission defects in Arabidopsis thaliana. To identify the stage of pollen development at which eIF3 becomes essential it is desirable to examine viable pollen and distinguish mutant from wild type. To accomplish this we have developed a broadly applicable method to track mutant alleles t...