437 / 2019-01-30 04:54:09

Elucidating the function of NORTIA in Arabidopsis pollen tube reception

Arabidopsis thaliana,NORTIA,Pollen Tube Reception

全体主题 > Cell Biology

The fertility of plants is dependent upon a complex series of events from pollination to fertilization. Upon pollen tube arrival at the female gametophyte, a complex series of molecular events, known collectively as pollen tube reception, must occur before the pollen tube can burst and release two sperm cells to complete double fertilization. Pollen tube reception is controlled by the synergid cells of the female gametophyte. FERONIA (FER), LORELEI (LRE), and NORTIA (NTA) are synergid-expressed genes that have been shown to participate in signaling between the synergid and the pollen tube. FER acts in coordination with LRE at the filiform apparatus to control rupture of the pollen tube and release of the sperm cells. NTA is localized in Golgi-associated compartments before pollen tube arrival and redistributes to the filiform apparatus, a region of highly invaginated membranes at the pollen tube entry point, upon pollen tube arrival in a FER-dependent process. However, the molecular pathway that NTA belongs to and how NTA executes its function still remains a mystery. This project is aimed at defining the timing and functional significance of NTA redistribution during pollen tube reception and at identifying other molecular components involved in this biological process.