Gametophytic pollen tube guidance

The concept of a pollen tube attractant was proposed in the late nineteenth century when pollen tubes were found to grow toward excised pistil tissues on medium. Since then, for about 140 years, plant biologists have tried to identify the pollen tube attractants. However, no molecule has been convincingly demonstrated to be the true attractant that actually controls the navigation of pollen tubes in the pistil. The past decade has seen substantial progress in this field in terms of our understanding of the various mechanisms of pollen tube guidance. It was suggested that diffusible pollen tube attractants might provide localized signals that affect the directional growth of the pollen tube, especially in the last phase of guidance by the target female gametophyte. Here, we review the mechanisms of pollen tube guidance, with special focus on the gametophytic guidance and the attractant. The necessary and appropriate conditions required by the true attractant will be discussed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

红皮树胚胎发育

本文报道红皮树(Styrax suberifoltus Hook.et Arn.)大小孢子发育和早期胚胎发生。子房具胚珠20—23枚,胚珠横生,珠被二层,薄珠心,孢原细胞直接起大孢子母细胞作用。合点端大孢子具功能。胚囊发育为正常型。成熟胚囊具大量淀粉粒。小孢子形成为同时型,成熟花粉为二细胞型。传粉后、受精前两个助细胞在形状和对苏木精着色程度上有显著区别。胚乳发育为细胞型。在合子分裂前,胚乳细胞增至约26个时,暂时停止分裂。苏木精对细胞质不易着色,似解体细胞。有胚乳吸器。     

Ultrastructure of the micropyle and its relationship to pollen tube growth and synergid degeneration in sunflower

Summary Ultrastructural studies made on the micropyle of sunflower before and after pollination resulted in the following observations. (1) The micropyle is closed instead of a hole or canal. The inner epidermis of the integument on both sides of the micropyle is in close contact at the apex of the ovule. The boundary between the two sides consists of two layers of epidermal cuticle. (2) The micropyle contains a transmitting tissue. The micropyle is composed of an intercellular matrix produced by the epidermal cells of the integument. (3) The micropyle is asymmetrical, and is much wider on the side proximal to the funicle. On the funicle side the cells adjacent to the micropyle are similar to those of the transmitting tissue: they have large amounts of intercellular matrix and contain abundant dictyosomes, rough ER, and starch grains, and provide an appropriate environment for growth of the pollen tubes. The cells distal to the funicle are rich in rough ER and lipid bodies; they lack large intercellular spaces. (4) The micropyle is variable in the axial direction, i.e., it is much larger and more asymmetric at the level distal to the embryo sac than at a level close to the embryo sac. After pollination, one to four pollen tubes are seen in a micropyle. During their passage through the micropyle, most pollen tubes are restricted to the side proximal to the funicle. There is a greater tendency (81%) for the degenerate synergid to be located toward the funicle, i.e., at the same side as the pollen tube pathway. The data indicate a close relationship between micropyle organization, orientation of pollen tube growth, and synergid degeneration.     

水稻“双－3”多胚发生的研究

水稻ＭＩＶ（双－３、籼稻）传粉后可以有多个花粉管同时进入胚囊．大多数胚囊的合子发育为一个正常的胚,但是有少数合子胚发生裂生并分化形成双胚芽和一胚根．有些胚囊的助细胞和卵细胞同时受精后,分别发育为助细胞胚和合子胚;有些胚囊中的反足细胞团可直接发育为胚．可见“双－３”水稻除有正常合子胚外还存在助细胞胚和反足细胞匹的多胚现象．     

The synergid cell: attractor and acceptor of the pollen tube for double fertilization

In flowering plants, the egg cell is generally accompanied by two symmetrical cells, called synergid cells. As early as the 1870s, synergid cells were distinguished from egg cells and cooperation between synergid and egg cells was proposed; the term "synergid" is derived from the Greek "synergos," which means "working together." The accumulation of morphological and genetic data, and, more recently, the in vitro physiological analysis of the fertilization system of Torenia fournieri, have revealed that synergid cells work together with egg and central cells to accomplish double fertilization. This cooperation is of crucial importance in the attraction and acceptance of the pollen tube. In this review article, I focus on the physiological function and behavior of the synergid cell during the fertilization process. Received: December 20, 2001 / Accepted: December 27, 2001     

多胚水稻ApⅢ（双13）的胚胎学观察

对多胚水稻（Ｏｒｙｚａ ｓａｔｉｖａ Ｌ．）ＡｐⅢ的大量成熟颖果、人工萌发的幼苗和开花后３～５ ｄ 的幼嫩颖果进行的整体解剖和显微制片观察表明：ＡｐⅢ的５０００粒成熟颖果中,８９．０％ 含单胚单苗,８．９％ 和１．２％分别含双胚双苗和三胚三苗;７００多粒幼嫩颖果中,９０．０％ ～９５．０％ 含单胚,５．０％ ～７．０％ 含双胚。因制片的数目有限,未见到含三胚的;在含单胚和多胚颖果中,胚均位于同一胚囊的珠孔端,未见到胚囊以外存在不定胚。根据上述结果,似可以认为ＡｐⅢ单粒颖果的双胚和三胚是由同一胚囊内的卵细胞和１或２个助细胞受精或不受精发育而来的     

Calcium distribution in fertilized and unfertilized ovules and embryo sacs of Nicotiana tabacum L.

Potassium antimonate was used to localize Ca²⁺ in tobacco ovules from 0 to 7 d after anthesis in pollinated and emasculated flowers. Antimonate binds “loosely bound” Ca²⁺ into calcium antimonate; less-soluble forms are unavailable and free calcium usually escapes. Ovules are immature at anthesis. Abundant calcium precipitates in nucellar cells surrounding the micropylar canal. A difference between calcium in the two synergids emerges at 1 d, which is enhanced in pollinated flowers. The future receptive synergid accumulates more precipitates in the nucleus, cytoplasm and cell walls. After fertilization, micropyle precipitates diminish, and the ovule is unreceptive to further tube entry. In emasculated flowers 6 d after anthesis, ovular precipitates essentially disappear; however, flowers pollinated at 4–5 d and collected 2 d later largely restore their prior concentration of precipitates. Ovular precipitates occur initially in the nucellus, then the embryo sac, and finally the synergid and micropylar filiform apparatus. Possibility, calcium is released from the embryo sac, although no structural evidence of exudate formation was observed. Calcium precipitates in the ovule correlate with the ability of the ovule to be fertilized, suggesting that successful pollen tube entry and later development may require calcium of the class precipitated by antimonate. Received: 14 August 1996 / Accepted: 9 October 1996     

Ultrastructure of Synergids in Mature Embryo Sac of Convolvulus arvensis

The main ultras tructure of synergids in mature embryo sac of Convolvulus arvensis L. was studied by means of electron microscope was the same as those previously reported. However, growth of many finger-like projections continuously distributed on the outer surface of synergids was observed. Exchange of material between central cell and synergids was enhanced by the transfer wall. The profile of endoplasmic reticulum which was long and parallelly arranged became shortened and randomly expanded. A narrow path appeared at the junction of egg and synergid.     

Embryological Observation on the Apomictic Rice-ApⅢ (Shuang 13)

Since 1988s, the phenomenon of multiple seedlings and multiple embryoes of apomictic rice, Ap Ⅲ (Shuang 13) has been interestingly concerned. Embryological investigation of Ap Ⅲ has been carried out with the whole dissection and conventional sectioning technique. The main conclusions are as follows: 1.8. 9 % of 5000 matured caryopsises, contained one embryo in a caryopsis, from which single seedling arose, while 8.9 % twin embryoes and 1.2 % triplet embryoes of which developed two seedlings and triple seedlings respectively; 2. In over 700 young caryopsises, 90.0%～95.0% contained only one embryo, 5.0%～7.0% twin embryoes, except a few of the ovules with absorptive embryo sac or embryo and endosperm. Triplet embryoes caryopsis could not be traced further due to their low frequency; 3. Authors' materials showed that all the single, twin and triplet embryoes were situated at the micropylar end in one embryo sac of young ovule and no adventitious embryo was seen outside the embryo sac of ovules. From the aforementioned results, it can be infered that albeit single embryo is derived from the egg cell yet it could be possible twin or triplet embryocs may be developed from the egg cell and one or two of the synergids either or not through fertilization.     

Ultracytochemical Localization of Calcium in Micropyle and Embryo Sac of Brassica napus Before and After Pollination

Potassiam antimonate was used to localize Ca2+ in the micropyle and embryo sac of Brassica napus L. before and after pollination. To identify the nature of the pyroantimonate deposits, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXA) was employed and the deposits were proved to contain calcium pyroantimonate. Image processing system was employed to measure the volume density and the diameter of the deposits. Before and after pollination, calcium was more abundant in the exostome and endostome as compared with the other regions of the integuments, and was concentrated at the apoplast system, i.e. the intercellular matrix of the micropyle canal and the cell wall. Before pollination, each of the two sister synergids accumulated more calcium than the other embryo sac cells. Although the mean diameter of the deposits in the synergid was only two-thirds as that in the egg cell and central cell, the volume density of the deposits in the synergid was about 2.5 times and 1.9 times as that in the egg cell and the central cell respectively. The filiform apparatus and the nucleus had the most abundant calcium within a synergid. After pollination both sister synergids degenerated conspicuously and were characterized by much more deposited calcium (about 2.4 times more than before); and the diameter of the deposits decreased dramatically, which was less than one-third as before. The relationship between calcium distribution and synergid degeneration as well as its functions was discussed.