花粉管引导机制的研究进展

花粉管引导是指显花植物在受精过程中,雌蕊组织与花粉管相互作用使花粉管定向生长并最终到达胚囊的过程,其机制颇为复杂。该文基于调控花粉管生长的孢子体引导和配子体细胞引导两个主要过程,阐述雌蕊中不同蛋白分子和其它小分子物质的浓度梯度在花粉管的孢子体组织引导中的作用,以及胚囊中不同类型的细胞及其相关基因与蛋白在花粉管的配子体细胞引导中的作用。同时,该文也对精细胞在花粉管引导中的作用进行了阐述。     

Genetic Evidence That the Red-Absorbing Form of Phytochrome B Modulates Gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana

Hypocotyls of dark-grown Arabidopsis seedlings exhibit strong negative gravitropism, whereas in red light, gravitropism is strongly reduced. Red/far-red light-pulse experiments and analysis of specific phytochrome-deficient mutants indicate that the red-absorbing (Pr) form of phytochrome B regulates normal hypocotyl gravitropism in darkness, and depletion of Pr by photoconversion to the far-red-absorbing form attenuates hypocotyl gravitropism. These studies provide genetic evidence that the Pr form of phytochrome has an active function in plant development.     

Arabidopsis Formin3 Directs the Formation of Actin Cables and Polarized Growth in Pollen Tubes

Cytoplasmic actin cables are the most prominent actin structures in plant cells, but the molecular mechanism underlying their formation is unknown. The function of these actin cables, which are proposed to modulate cytoplasmic streaming and intracellular movement of many organelles in plants, has not been studied by genetic means. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana formin3 (AFH3) is an actin nucleation factor responsible for the formation of longitudinal actin cables in pollen tubes. The Arabidopsis AFH3 gene encodes a 785–amino acid polypeptide, which contains a formin homology 1 (FH1) and a FH2 domain. In vitro analysis revealed that the AFH3 FH1FH2 domains interact with the barbed end of actin filaments and have actin nucleation activity in the presence of G-actin or G actin-profilin. Overexpression of AFH3 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) pollen tubes induced excessive actin cables, which extended into the tubes'' apices. Specific downregulation of AFH3 eliminated actin cables in Arabidopsis pollen tubes and reduced the level of actin polymers in pollen grains. This led to the disruption of the reverse fountain streaming pattern in pollen tubes, confirming a role for actin cables in the regulation of cytoplasmic streaming. Furthermore, these tubes became wide and short and swelled at their tips, suggesting that actin cables may regulate growth polarity in pollen tubes. Thus, AFH3 regulates the formation of actin cables, which are important for cytoplasmic streaming and polarized growth in pollen tubes.     

DUF784基因在花粉管导向中的功能分析

花粉管导向是高等植物完成双受精过程的重要环节,是受多重信号调控的复杂过程.最近的研究揭示,配子体阶段花粉管导向的诱导信号分子是一类具多态性的富含半胱氨酸的防卫素类似蛋白,如来自玉米的ZmEA1和蓝猪耳草中的LUREs在吸引花粉管进入珠孔起重要作用.但是拟南芥及其它植物中此类信号未知.转录组学分析表明,一组DUF784基因可能在花粉管导向中起到重要作用.通过RNAi技术降低一组DUF784基因的表达,分析发现在RNAi转基因植株中,出现胚珠败育现象,花粉管导向出现异常,一部分花粉管不能进入珠孔.另外,用MYB98基因的启动子携带1个DUF基因的编码区,然后转化ccg突变体,发现ccg转基因株系中胚胎败育率下降,即DUF基因能部分互补ccg突变体的表型;从这两方面证实了DUF784基因在花粉管定向导入过程中的作用.     

Genetic Interactions That Regulate Inflorescence Development in Arabidopsis

In Arabidopsis, floral meristems arise in continuous succession directly on the flanks of the inflorescence meristem. Thus, the pathways that regulate inflorescence and floral meristem identity must operate both simultaneously and in close spatial proximity. The TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) gene of Arabidopsis is required for normal inflorescence meristem function, and the LEAFY (LFY), APETALA 1 (AP1), and APETALA 2 (AP2) genes are required for normal floral meristem function. We present evidence that inflorescence meristem identity is promoted by TFL1 and that floral meristem identity is promoted by parallel developmental pathways, one defined by LFY and the other defined by AP1/AP2. Our analysis suggests that the acquisition of meristem identity during inflorescence development is mediated by antagonistic interactions between TFL1 and LFY and between TFL1 and AP1/AP2. Based on this study, we propose a simple model for the genetic regulation of inflorescence development in Arabidopsis. This model is discussed in relation to the proposed interactions between the inflorescence and the floral meristem identity genes and in regard to other genes that are likely to be part of the genetic hierarchy regulating the establishment and maintenance of inflorescence and floral meristems.     

Biochemical and Immunocytological Characterizations of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Cell Wall

During plant sexual reproduction, pollen germination and tube growth require development under tight spatial and temporal control for the proper delivery of the sperm cells to the ovules. Pollen tubes are fast growing tip-polarized cells able to perceive multiple guiding signals emitted by the female organ. Adhesion of pollen tubes via cell wall molecules may be part of the battery of signals. In order to study these processes, we investigated the cell wall characteristics of in vitro-grown Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pollen tubes using a combination of immunocytochemical and biochemical techniques. Results showed a well-defined localization of cell wall epitopes. Low esterified homogalacturonan epitopes were found mostly in the pollen tube wall back from the tip. Xyloglucan and arabinan from rhamnogalacturonan I epitopes were detected along the entire tube within the two wall layers and the outer wall layer, respectively. In contrast, highly esterified homogalacturonan and arabinogalactan protein epitopes were found associated predominantly with the tip region. Chemical analysis of the pollen tube cell wall revealed an important content of arabinosyl residues (43%) originating mostly from (1→5)-α-l-arabinan, the side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I. Finally, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of endo-glucanase-sensitive xyloglucan showed mass spectra with two dominant oligosaccharides (XLXG/XXLG and XXFG), both being mono O-acetylated, and accounting for over 68% of the total ion signals. These findings demonstrate that the Arabidopsis pollen tube wall has its own characteristics compared with other cell types in the Arabidopsis sporophyte. These structural features are discussed in terms of pollen tube cell wall biosynthesis and growth dynamics.Fertilization of flowering plants requires the delivery of the two sperm cells, carried by a fast growing tip-polarized pollen tube, to the egg cell. In plants with dry stigma and solid style such as Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), this process begins with the deposition and specific adhesion of the pollen grains on the stigmatic tissue, subsequent hydration of the pollen grains, and germination of pollen tubes (Palanivelu and Preuss, 2000). Pollen tubes invade the papillae cell wall of the stigma, enter the short style, and grow through the apoplast of the specialized transmitting tract (TT) that is filled with a nutrient-rich extracellular matrix (Kandasamy et al., 1994; Lennon et al., 1998). During this invasive growth, pollen tubes are guided to the ovules via signals that need to pass through the cell wall to reach their membrane-associated or intracellular targets (Lord and Russell, 2002; Kim et al., 2003; Boavida et al., 2005; McCormick and Yang, 2005; Johnson and Lord, 2006). In plant species with wet stigma and hollow style such as lily (Lilium longiflorum), adhesion between the pollen tube wall and the TT epidermis extracellular matrix is important for the growth of the pollen tubes toward the ovules (Mollet et al., 2000, 2007; Park et al., 2000; Chae et al., 2007). In addition to being the interface between the tube cells and the surroundings (female sporophyte or culture medium), the pollen tube wall also controls the cell shape, protects the generative cells, and allows resistance against turgor pressure (Geitmann and Steer, 2006; Geitmann, 2010).Most of our knowledge on cell wall polymers of higher plants comes from investigations on vegetative organs in which cells have diffuse growth. The cell wall is mainly composed of polysaccharides (cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and occasionally callose, depending on the tissue) and proteoglycans (e.g. extensin and arabinogalactan proteins [AGPs]) forming a complex network with processing enzymes.Pectins are complex wall macromolecules with uncertain supramolecular organization (Vincken et al., 2003) consisting of homogalacturonan (HG) that can be methylesterified and acetylesterified, rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II), and xylogalacturonan (Carpita and McCann, 2000). HG is a polymer of repeated units of (1→4)-α-d-GalUA that can be cross-linked with calcium upon block-wise action of pectin methylesterases (PMEs) on methylesterified HG (Micheli, 2001). RG-II has the same homopolymer backbone as HG but is substituted with four different oligosaccharides composed of unusual sugars, such as apiose, aceric acid, and 3-deoxy-d-manno-2-octulosonic acid, of unknown function (for review, see Caffall and Mohnen, 2009). RG-I consists of the repeating disaccharide (1→4)-α-d-GalUA-(1→2)-α-l-Rha, with a wide variety of side chains attached to the rhamnosyl residues, ranging from monomers to large oligosaccharides such as (1→4)-β-d-galactan, (1→5)-α-l-arabinan, and/or type I arabinogalactan (Caffall and Mohnen, 2009).Xyloglucan (XyG) is the major hemicellulosic polysaccharide of the primary wall of flowering plants. Classic XyG consists of a (1→4)-β-d-glucan backbone substituted with Xyl, Gal-Xyl, or Fuc-Gal-Xyl motifs, which correspond, according to the one-letter code proposed by Fry et al. (1993), to X, L, and F, respectively, G being the unsubstituted glucosyl residue of the glucan backbone. The main XyG fragments released after endo-glucanase treatment of the cell wall from wild-type Arabidopsis vegetative organs are generally XXXG, XXLG/XLXG, XXFG, and XLFG (Zablackis et al., 1995; Lerouxel et al., 2002; Nguema-Ona et al., 2006; Obel et al., 2009). In addition, O-acetylation of XyG can occur, most generally on the galactosyl residues, but its biological function is unknown (Cavalier et al., 2008). In the primary wall, XyG interacts with cellulose microfibrils via hydrogen bonds and participates in the control of cell expansion (Cosgrove, 1999).AGPs and extensin belong to the Hyp-rich glycoproteins superfamily with very high levels of type II arabinogalactan glycosylation (Nothnagel, 1997; Showalter, 2001). These proteoglycans have been implicated in many aspects of plant development, including cell expansion, cell signaling and communication, embryogenesis, wound response, and pollen tube guidance (Wu et al., 1995; Nothnagel, 1997; Seifert and Roberts, 2007; Driouich and Baskin, 2008).Despite the importance of pollen tubes for the delivery of the sperm cells to the egg, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate the mechanical interaction of pollen tubes with female floral tissues. There are very scarce data concerning the different components of the pollen tube cell wall. Past approaches to characterize the pollen tube cell wall are limited to a few plant genera, including Camellia (Nakamura and Suzuki, 1981), Lilium (Jauh and Lord, 1996; Mollet et al., 2002), Nicotiana (Rae et al.,1985; Li et al., 1995; Ferguson et al., 1998; Qin et al., 2007), Pinus (Derksen et al., 1999), and Zea (Rubinstein et al., 1995), and are mostly based on immunocytochemistry. These studies revealed that, depending on the species, the pollen tube cell wall contains epitopes that are found in the polymers described above, including HGs with varying levels of methylesterification, AGPs, extensin-like proteins, and low amounts of cellulose. Unlike most other plant cells, callose, a (1→3)-β-glucan, is predominant and is deposited in the wall back from the tip. Moreover, it is deposited at regular intervals to form callose plugs that maintain the tube cell in the apical expanding region of the tube and separate the viable from the degenerating region of the tube (for review, see Geitmann and Steer, 2006). Only a few reports have investigated the pollen tube of the model plant Arabidopsis. They have focused either on in vivo-grown or on in vitro-grown pollen tubes using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against a subset of cell wall epitopes present in HG, XyG, and AGPs (Lennon and Lord, 2000; Freshour et al., 2003; Pereira et al., 2006), but quantitative chemical analyses are lacking. This lack of information is most likely due to the fact that substantial amounts of pollen tube material are needed for chemical analysis, and a reproducible and efficient method for liquid culture of Arabidopsis pollen tubes had not been established until recently (Boavida and McCormick, 2007; Bou Daher et al., 2009).Here, we report the composition and localization of different cell wall polymers of in vitro-grown wild-type Arabidopsis pollen tubes based on biochemical analyses coupled to immunocytochemical investigations both at light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) levels using recently developed MAbs. Our results show distinct patterns of labeling (tip, whole tube, and shank of the tube) depending on the recognized epitope. The most striking observations are (1) the abundance of (1→5)-α-l-arabinan in the tube wall (greater than 40 mol % of Ara), mostly localized, with LM6 and LM13, in the outer wall layer of the tube and (2) an atypical XyG matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) profile with over 68% of the oligosaccharide fragments being O-acetylated.     

Genetic Variation in Sorghum for the Inhibition of Maize Pollen Tube Growth

Aniline blue fluorescence was used to study the growth of maizepollen tubes in the stigmas of 13 diverse sorghum accessions.In 12, only short maize pollen tubes were formed, but in thesingle exception (Sorghum nervosum Nr481) maize pollen tubesgrew at least as far as the base of the style. The S. bicolorgenotypes S9B and CMS (a cytoplasmic male sterile line) werehybridized with Nr481, and analysis of maize pollen tube growthin F₁ plants, and BC₁ plants using Nr481 as the recurrent parent,suggested that differences in inhibition of pollen tube growthwere due to variation at a single locus, which we propose todesignate lap (Inhibition of alien pollen tubes). AccessionNr481 appears to be homozygous for a recessive allele permittingmaize pollen tube growth. Attempts were made to produce sorghumx maize hybrids using Nr481 and CMS derivatives which were knownto allow maize pollen tube growth to the base of the style.A putative hybrid endosperm was obtained in one Nr481 x Seneca60 maize cross, but this was not repeatable and no hybrid plantswere produced. A fundamental problem may be the large size ofthe maize pollen tube, which could have difficulty growing throughthe sorghum ovary and in entering the micropyle. Sorghum bicolor spp. bicolor (L.) Moench, Zea mays L, sorghum, maize, pollen tube growth, hybridization barriers     

MALE GAMETOPHYTE DEFECTIVE 2, Encoding a Sialyltransferase-like Protein, is Required for Normal Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Growth in Arabidopsis

Sialyltransferases (SiaTs) exist widely in vertebrates and play important roles in a variety of biological processes. In plants, several genes have also been identified to encode the proteins that share homology with the vertebrate SiaTs. However, very little is known about their functions in plants. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel Arabidopsis gene, MALE GAMETOPHYTE DEFECTIVE 2 [MGP2) that encodes a sialyltransferase-like protein. MGP2 was expressed in all tissues including pollen grains and pollen tubes. The MGP2 protein was targeted to Golgi apparatus. Knockout of MGP2 significantly inhibited the pollen germination and retarded pollen tube growth in vitro and in vivo, but did not affect female gametophytic functions. These results suggest that the sialyltransferase-like protein MGP2 is important for normal pollen germination and pollen tube growth, giving a novel insight into the biological roles of the sialyltransferase-like proteins in plants.     

Truncation of a Protein Disulfide Isomerase,PDIL2-1, Delays Embryo Sac Maturation and Disrupts Pollen Tube Guidance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Pollen tubes must navigate through different female tissues to deliver sperm to the embryo sac for fertilization. Protein disulfide isomerases play important roles in the maturation of secreted or plasma membrane proteins. Here, we show that certain T-DNA insertions in Arabidopsis thaliana PDIL2-1, a protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), have reduced seed set, due to delays in embryo sac maturation. Reciprocal crosses indicate that these mutations acted sporophytically, and aniline blue staining and scanning electron microscopy showed that funicular and micropylar pollen tube guidance were disrupted. A PDIL2-1-yellow fluorescent protein fusion was mainly localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and was expressed in all tissues examined. In ovules, expression in integument tissues was much higher in the micropylar region in later developmental stages, but there was no expression in embryo sacs. We show that reduced seed set occurred when another copy of full-length PDIL2-1 or when enzymatically active truncated versions were expressed, but not when an enzymatically inactive version was expressed, indicating that these T-DNA insertion lines are gain-of-function mutants. Our results suggest that these truncated versions of PDIL2-1 function in sporophytic tissues to affect ovule structure and impede embryo sac development, thereby disrupting pollen tube guidance.     

Calcium Channel Activity during Pollen Tube Growth and Reorientation

We have shown previously that the inhibition of pollen tube growth and its subsequent reorientation in Agapanthus umbellatus are preceded by an increase in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]c), suggesting a role for Ca2+ in signaling these processes. In this study, a novel procedure was used to measure Ca2+ channel activity in living pollen tubes subjected to various growth reorienting treatments (electrical fields and ionophoretic microinjection). The method involves adding extracellular Mn2+ to quench the fluorescence of intracellular Indo-1 at its ca2+-insensitive wavelength (isosbestic point). The spatial and temporal kinetics of Ca2+ channel activity correlated well with measurements of [Ca2+]c dynamics obtained by fluorescence ratio imaging of Indo-1. Tip-focused gradients in Ca2+ channel activity and [Ca2+]c were observed and quantified in growing pollen tubes and in swollen pollen tubes before reoriented growth. In nongrowing pollen tubes, Ca2+ channel activity was very low and [Ca2+]c gradients were absent. Measurements of membrane potential indicated that the growth reorienting treatments induced a depolarization of the plasma membrane, suggesting that voltage-gated Ca2+ channels might be activated.     

Class XI Myosins Move Specific Organelles in Pollen Tubes and Are Required for Normal Fertility and Pollen Tube Growth in Arabidopsis

Pollen tube growth is an essential aspect of plant reproduction because it is the mechanism through which nonmotile sperm cells are delivered to ovules, thus allowing fertilization to occur. A pollen tube is a single cell that only grows at the tip, and this tip growth has been shown to depend on actin filaments. It is generally assumed that myosin-driven movements along these actin filaments are required to sustain the high growth rates of pollen tubes. We tested this conjecture by examining seed set, pollen fitness, and pollen tube growth for knockout mutants of five of the six myosin XI genes expressed in pollen of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Single mutants had little or no reduction in overall fertility, whereas double mutants of highly similar pollen myosins had greater defects in pollen tube growth. In particular, myo11c1 myo11c2 pollen tubes grew more slowly than wild-type pollen tubes, which resulted in reduced fitness compared with the wild type and a drastic reduction in seed set. Golgi stack and peroxisome movements were also significantly reduced, and actin filaments were less organized in myo11c1 myo11c2 pollen tubes. Interestingly, the movement of yellow fluorescent protein-RabA4d-labeled vesicles and their accumulation at pollen tube tips were not affected in the myo11c1 myo11c2 double mutant, demonstrating functional specialization among myosin isoforms. We conclude that class XI myosins are required for organelle motility, actin organization, and optimal growth of pollen tubes.Pollen tubes play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction. A pollen tube is the vegetative cell of the male gametophyte. It undergoes rapid polarized growth in order to transport the two nonmotile sperm cells to an ovule. This rapid growth is supported by the constant delivery of secretory vesicles to the pollen tube tip, where they fuse with the plasma membrane to enlarge the cell (Bove et al., 2008; Bou Daher and Geitmann, 2011; Chebli et al., 2013). This vesicle delivery is assumed to be driven by the rapid movement of organelles and cytosol throughout the cell, a process that is commonly referred to as cytoplasmic streaming (Shimmen, 2007). Cytoplasmic streaming in angiosperm pollen tubes forms a reverse fountain: organelles moving toward the tip travel along the cell membrane, while organelles moving away from the tip travel through the center of the tube (Heslop-Harrison and Heslop-Harrison, 1990; Derksen et al., 2002). Drug treatments revealed that pollen tube cytoplasmic streaming and tip growth depend on actin filaments (Franke et al., 1972; Mascarenhas and Lafountain, 1972; Heslop-Harrison and Heslop-Harrison, 1989; Parton et al., 2001; Vidali et al., 2001). Curiously, very low concentrations of actin polymerization inhibitors can prevent growth without completely stopping cytoplasmic streaming, indicating that cytoplasmic streaming is not sufficient for pollen tube growth (Vidali et al., 2001). At the same time, however, drug treatments have not been able to specifically inhibit cytoplasmic streaming; thus, it is unknown whether cytoplasmic streaming is necessary for pollen tube growth.Myosins are actin-based motor proteins that actively transport organelles throughout the cell and are responsible for cytoplasmic streaming in plants (Shimmen, 2007; Sparkes, 2011; Madison and Nebenführ, 2013). Myosins can be grouped into at least 30 different classes based on amino acid sequence similarity of the motor domain, of which only class VIII and class XI myosins are found in plants (Odronitz and Kollmar, 2007; Sebé-Pedrós et al., 2014). Class VIII and class XI myosins have similar domain architecture. The N-terminal motor domain binds actin and hydrolyzes ATP (Tominaga et al., 2003) and is often preceded by an SH3-like (for sarcoma homology3) domain of unknown function. The neck domain, containing IQ (Ile-Gln) motifs, acts as a lever arm and is bound by calmodulin-like proteins that mediate calcium regulation of motor activity (Kinkema and Schiefelbein, 1994; Yokota et al., 1999; Tominaga et al., 2012). The coiled-coil domain facilitates dimerization (Li and Nebenführ, 2008), and the globular tail functions as the cargo-binding domain (Li and Nebenführ, 2007). Class VIII myosins also contain an N-terminal extension, MyTH8 (for myosin tail homology8; Mühlhausen and Kollmar, 2013), and class XI myosins contain a dilute domain in the C-terminal globular tail (Kinkema and Schiefelbein, 1994; Odronitz and Kollmar, 2007; Sebé-Pedrós et al., 2014). Recently, Mühlhausen and Kollmar (2013) proposed a new nomenclature for plant myosins based on a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of all known plant myosins that clearly identifies paralogs and makes interspecies comparisons easier (Madison and Nebenführ, 2013).The localization of class VIII myosins, as determined by immunolocalization and the expression of fluorescently labeled full-length or tail constructs, has implicated these myosins in cell-to-cell communication, cell division, and endocytosis in angiosperms and moss (Reichelt et al., 1999; Van Damme et al., 2004; Avisar et al., 2008; Golomb et al., 2008; Sattarzadeh et al., 2008; Yuan et al., 2011; Haraguchi et al., 2014; Wu and Bezanilla, 2014). On the other hand, class XI myosin mutants have been studied extensively in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which revealed roles for class XI myosins in cell expansion and organelle motility (Ojangu et al., 2007, 2012; Peremyslov et al., 2008, 2010; Prokhnevsky et al., 2008; Park and Nebenführ, 2013). Very few studies have examined the reproductive tissues of class XI myosin mutants. In rice (Oryza sativa), one myosin XI was shown to be required for normal pollen development under short-day conditions (Jiang et al., 2007). In Arabidopsis, class XI myosins are required for stigmatic papillae elongation, which is necessary for normal fertility (Ojangu et al., 2012). Even though pollen tubes of myosin XI mutants have not been examined, the tip growth of another tip-growing plant cell has been thoroughly examined in myosin mutants. Root hairs are tubular outgrowths of root epidermal cells that function to increase the surface area of the root for water and nutrient uptake. Two myosin XI mutants have shorter root hairs, of which the myo11e1 (xik; myosin XI K) mutation has been shown to be associated with a slower root hair growth rate and reduced actin dynamics compared with the wild type (Ojangu et al., 2007; Peremyslov et al., 2008; Park and Nebenführ, 2013). Higher order mutants have a further reduction in root hair growth and have altered actin organization (Prokhnevsky et al., 2008; Peremyslov et al., 2010). Disruption of actin organization was also observed in myosin XI mutants of the moss Physcomitrella patens (Vidali et al., 2010), where these motors appear to coordinate the formation of actin filaments in the apical dome of the tip-growing protonemal cells (Furt et al., 2013). Interestingly, organelle movements in P. patens are much slower than in angiosperms and do not seem to depend on myosin motors (Furt et al., 2012).The function of myosins in pollen tubes is currently not known, although it is generally assumed that they are responsible for the prominent cytoplasmic streaming observed in these cells by associating with organelle surfaces (Kohno and Shimmen, 1988; Shimmen, 2007). Myosin from lily (Lilium longiflorum) pollen tubes was isolated biochemically and shown to move actin filaments with a speed of about 8 µm s⁻¹ (Yokota and Shimmen, 1994) in a calcium-dependent manner (Yokota et al., 1999). Antibodies against this myosin labeled small structures in both the tip region and along the shank (Yokota et al., 1995), consistent with the proposed role of this motor in moving secretory vesicles to the apex.In Arabidopsis, six of 13 myosin XI genes are highly expressed in pollen: Myo11A1 (XIA), Myo11A2 (XID), Myo11B1 (XIB), Myo11C1 (XIC), Myo11C2 (XIE), and Myo11D (XIJ; Peremyslov et al., 2011; Sparkes, 2011). The original gene names (Reddy and Day, 2001) are given in parentheses. Myo11D is the only short-tailed myosin XI in Arabidopsis (Mühlhausen and Kollmar, 2013) and lacks the typical myosin XI globular tail involved in cargo binding (Li and Nebenführ, 2007). The remaining genes have the same domain architecture as the conventional class XI myosins that have been shown to be involved in the elongation of trichomes, stigmatic papillae, and root hairs (Ojangu et al., 2007, 2012; Peremyslov et al., 2008, 2010; Prokhnevsky et al., 2008; Park and Nebenführ, 2013). Therefore, we predicted that these five pollen-expressed, conventional class XI myosins are required for the rapid elongation of pollen tubes. In this study, we examined transfer DNA (T-DNA) insertion mutants of Myo11A1, Myo11A2, Myo11B1, Myo11C1, and Myo11C2 for defects in fertility and pollen tube growth. Organelle motility and actin organization were also examined in myo11c1 myo11c2 pollen tubes.     

Deciphering the Possible Mechanism of GABA in Tobacco Pollen Tube Growth and Guidance

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory transmitter in animal central and peripheral nervous systems, and also plays an important role in pollen tube growth and guidance. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects in plants are poorly understood, mainly because the GABA receptor in plants has not been elucidated. To address this issue, we recently created quantum dot probes to identify possible GABA receptors on the membrane surfaces of pollen protoplasts. We found that GABA bound to cell membranes and regulated downstream Ca²⁺ oscillation in the cells. These results provide important clues to further specifying the nature of the binding sites and deciphering the role of GABA as a signal molecule in pollen tube growth and orientation.Key WordS: γ-aminobutyric acid, fertilization, GABA receptor, signal transduction and tobacco     

Arabidopsis Microtubule-Destabilizing Protein 25 Functions in Pollen Tube Growth by Severing Actin Filaments

The formation of distinct actin filament arrays in the subapical region of pollen tubes is crucial for pollen tube growth. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the organization and dynamics of the actin filaments in this region remain to be determined. This study shows that Arabidopsis thaliana MICROTUBULE-DESTABILIZING PROTEIN25 (MDP25) has the actin filament–severing activity of an actin binding protein. This protein negatively regulated pollen tube growth by modulating the organization and dynamics of actin filaments in the subapical region of pollen tubes. MDP25 loss of function resulted in enhanced pollen tube elongation and inefficient fertilization. MDP25 bound directly to actin filaments and severed individual actin filaments, in a manner that was dramatically enhanced by Ca²⁺, in vitro. Analysis of a mutant that bears a point mutation at the Ca²⁺ binding sites demonstrated that the subcellular localization of MDP25 was determined by cytosolic Ca²⁺ level in the subapical region of pollen tubes, where MDP25 was disassociated from the plasma membrane and moved into the cytosol. Time-lapse analysis showed that the F-actin-severing frequency significantly decreased and a high density of actin filaments was observed in the subapical region of mdp25-1 pollen tubes. This study reveals a mechanism whereby calcium enhances the actin filament–severing activity of MDP25 in the subapical region of pollen tubes to modulate pollen tube growth.     

Genetic Evidence That Chain Length and Branch Point Distributions Are Linked Determinants of Starch Granule Formation in Arabidopsis

The major component of starch is the branched glucan amylopectin. Structural features of amylopectin, such as the branching pattern and the chain length distribution, are thought to be key factors that enable it to form semicrystalline starch granules. We varied both structural parameters by creating Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants lacking combinations of starch synthases (SSs) SS1, SS2, and SS3 (to vary chain lengths) and the debranching enzyme ISOAMYLASE1-ISOAMYLASE2 (ISA; to alter branching pattern). The isa mutant accumulates primarily phytoglycogen in leaf mesophyll cells, with only small amounts of starch in other cell types (epidermis and bundle sheath cells). This balance can be significantly shifted by mutating different SSs. Mutation of SS1 promoted starch synthesis, restoring granules in mesophyll cell plastids. Mutation of SS2 decreased starch synthesis, abolishing granules in epidermal and bundle sheath cells. Thus, the types of SSs present affect the crystallinity and thus the solubility of the glucans made, compensating for or compounding the effects of an aberrant branching pattern. Interestingly, ss2 mutant plants contained small amounts of phytoglycogen in addition to aberrant starch. Likewise, ss2ss3 plants contained phytoglycogen, but were almost devoid of glucan despite retaining other SS isoforms. Surprisingly, glucan production was restored in the ss2ss3isa triple mutants, indicating that SS activity in ss2ss3 per se is not limiting but that the isoamylase suppresses glucan accumulation. We conclude that loss of only SSs can cause phytoglycogen production. This is readily degraded by isoamylase and other enzymes so it does not accumulate and was previously unnoticed.Starch, the major storage carbohydrate in plants, is composed of two α-1,4- and α-1,6-linked glucan polymers: moderately branched amylopectin and predominantly linear amylose. Amylopectin, which constitutes approximately 80% of most starches, is synthesized by three enzyme activities. Starch synthases (SSs) transfer the glucosyl moiety of ADP-Glc to a glucan chain, forming a new α-1,4 glucosidic linkage, extending the linear chains. Branching enzymes (BEs) cleave some α-1,4 linkages and reattach chains of six Glc units or more via α-1,6 linkages, creating branch points. Debranching enzymes (DBEs) hydrolyze some of these branches, tailoring the structure of the polymer. However, the way in which the individual enzymes work together to create crystallization-competent amylopectin remains unclear.The coordinated actions of SSs, BEs, and DBEs are thought to produce a glucan with a tree-like architecture in which the branch points are nonrandomly positioned. According to models of amylopectin, clusters of unbranched chain segments are formed. Within these clusters, adjacent chains form double helices, which align in parallel giving rise to crystalline lamellae. These alternate with amorphous lamellae containing the branch points and chain segments that span the clusters (Zeeman et al., 2010). In the context of this amylopectin model, glucan chains can be categorized according to their length and connection to other chains. The A chains are external chains that do not carry other branches. The B chains carry one or more branches (either an A chain or another B chain) and have both external and internal segments. The B chains can span one or more clusters (e.g. a B₁ chain spans one cluster). The C chain is the single chain that has a reducing end (Manners, 1989). The A chains tend to be the shortest, having an average chain length (ACL) of 12 to 16, depending on the species (Hizukuri, 1986). Together with the B₁ chains, the A chains are thought to make up the crystalline clusters. Longer chains such as B₂ chains (ACL 20–24) or B₃ chains (ACL 42–48) are presumed to connect clusters (Hizukuri, 1986). Amylose is a distinct polymer synthesized within the amylopectin matrix by granule-bound SS (Tatge et al., 1999). Mutants lacking granule-bound SS also lack amylose but still make starch granules, showing that amylose synthesis is not required for this (Zeeman et al., 2010).The structural properties of amylopectin contrast with those of glycogen, the Glc polymer synthesized in organisms such as fungi, animals, and most bacteria. Glycogen also consists of α-1,4-linked Glc chains with α-1,6-linked branches, but differs in three major ways from amylopectin. First, its external branches are considerably shorter (6–8 Glc units compared with 12–16 in amylopectin). Second, the branch frequency (10%) is twice as high as in amylopectin. Third, its branch points are assumed to be distributed homogeneously, whereas branching in amylopectin is thought to be nonhomogeneous. These differences prevent the formation and parallel alignment of double helices in glycogen, rendering it soluble. Glycogen synthesis requires only a single glycogen synthase enzyme and a single glycogen BE, whereas several SS and BE isoforms are involved in amylopectin synthesis. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), there are four SSs (SS1–SS4) and two BEs (BE2 and BE3; Li et al., 2003; Streb and Zeeman, 2012). In addition, Arabidopsis has three DBEs. ISOAMYLASE1-ISOAMYLASE2 (hereafter referred to simply as ISA), a heteromultimeric enzyme composed of the two subunits ISA1 and ISA2, is implicated in amylopectin synthesis (Delatte et al., 2005). The other two DBEs, ISA3 and LIMIT DEXTRINASE (LDA), are implicated in starch degradation (Delatte et al., 2006).Loss of specific SS isoforms has different effects on the starch amount, amylopectin chain length distribution (CLD), and starch granule morphology, suggesting distinct functions for each isoform. For example, amylopectin from SS1-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis (Delvallé et al., 2005; Szydlowski et al., 2011) and rice (Oryza sativa; Fujita et al., 2006) has fewer chains with a degree of polymerization (DP; i.e. chain length) between 8 and 12 and more chains with a DP between 17 and 20 compared with the wild-type starches. This is consistent with in vitro data for the maize (Zea mays; Commuri and Keeling, 2001) and rice SSI enzymes (Fujita et al., 2006), which preferentially elongate short chains of DP 6 or 7 up to a length of DP 10. This indicates that SSI functions to elongate the short chains created by BEs by a few Glc units (Commuri and Keeling, 2001; Delvallé et al., 2005). Comparable studies in SS2-deficient mutants reveal amylopectin with more chains with DP 6 to 11, but depletion in chains with DP 13 to 20 compared with the corresponding wild-type amylopectins. Thus, SS2 is suggested to elongate shorter chains (e.g. those made by SS1) to a length of between DP 13 and 20 (Edwards et al., 1999; Yamamori et al., 2000; Umemoto et al., 2002; Morell et al., 2003; Zhang et al., 2004, 2008). SS3 was proposed to be important for the generation of long, cluster-spanning chains (Jeon et al., 2010; Tetlow and Emes, 2011), as well as contributing to A chain and B₁ chain elongation (Edwards et al., 1999; Zhang et al., 2005, 2008). By contrast, SS4 appears to have a specialized role in initiating or coordinating granule formation (Roldán et al., 2007; Crumpton-Taylor et al., 2012, 2013). Arabidopsis ss4 mutants have just one round starch granule per chloroplast rather than five or more lenticular granules observed in the wild type.Partial loss of BE activity in maize (Stinard et al., 1993), rice (Mizuno et al., 1993), and potato (Solanum tuberosum; Schwall et al., 2000) leads to starches with high apparent amylose, most likely caused by the accumulation of less frequently branched amylopectin. A total lack of branching activity in Arabidopsis be2be3 mutants, however, abolishes starch production. Instead, maltose accumulates, suggesting that linear glucans are produced, but degraded by α- and β-amylases (Dumez et al., 2006).Loss of DBE of the ISA1 class causes a dramatic phenotype, with production of a soluble glucan (phytoglycogen) in place of starch. This has been observed in starch-synthesizing tissues of several species, including Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells (Mouille et al., 1996), Arabidopsis leaves (Delatte et al., 2005; Wattebled et al., 2005), and the endosperms of maize (Zea Mays; James et al., 1995), rice (Oryza sativa; Nakamura et al., 1997), and barley (Hordeum vulgare) seeds (Burton et al., 2002). Phytoglycogen has structural similarities to glycogen in that both are water soluble and have a higher branch frequency than amylopectin. Accordingly, it was proposed that the trimming of glucans produced by SS and BE isoforms by ISA1 removes branches that interfere with the formation of secondary and tertiary structures (i.e. organized arrays of double helices), thereby facilitating amylopectin biosynthesis and crystallization (Ball et al., 1996). Compared with ISA1, the other two DBEs (LDA and ISA3) have different substrate specificities, both preferring substrates with short outer chains, such as β-limit dextrins, suggesting that their role is primarily in starch degradation. Consistently, mutating these genes in Arabidopsis causes a starch-excess phenotype rather than phytoglycogen accumulation (Delatte et al., 2006).Although it is now widely accepted that a degree of debranching occurs to control branch number and positioning in amylopectin, the importance of this for crystalline starch production is still uncertain. Several studies have shown that some cell types in isa1-deficient mutants still produce some starch (e.g. epidermal and bundle sheath cells in Arabidopsis mutants; Delatte et al., 2005), indicating that other factors can also affect the partitioning between phytoglycogen and starch.No starch granules are made in the Arabidopsis isa1isa2isa3lda quadruple mutant, which lacks all three DBEs (Streb et al., 2008). Although suggestive of redundancy between the DBEs, the loss of each enzyme has distinct effects on amylopectin or phytoglycogen structure, consistent with their different substrate specificities. Furthermore, the loss of starch granules in isa1isa2isa3lda was shown to be at least partly due to the actions of α-amylase; typical α-amylolytic products (short malto-oligosaccharides) accumulated alongside phytoglycogen. Mutation of the gene encoding the chloroplastic α-AMYLASE3 (AMY3) eliminated these short malto-oligosaccharides and restored starch granule biosynthesis in all cell types examined. This unexpected result showed that crystalline glucans can be produced in the absence of DBE activity, despite an altered branching pattern. Streb et al. (2008) proposed that AMY3 shortens external chains of the glucans made by SSs and BEs so that they cannot form double helices with their neighbors. This idea is consistent with models for amylopectin, in which a suitable CLD is a critical factor in the formation of the secondary and higher-order crystalline structures (Gidley and Bulpin, 1987; Pfannemüller, 1987). Thus, factors that affect the CLD, such as a failure to sufficiently elongate new branches or concomitant chain degradation by amylases, should also affect crystallinity. Indeed, early studies of maize mutants (that were subsequently shown to be affected in DBE and SS activities) reported that loss of SS in a DBE mutant background altered the ratio of starch to phytoglycogen compared with the DBE mutants alone (Cameron and Cole, 1954; Creech, 1965).The aim of this work was to use genetics to systematically vary both branch point position and chain lengths and determine the impact on glucan amount, structure, and starch granule formation in Arabidopsis. We analyzed mutants lacking combinations of SSs (to vary chain lengths) in the absence of the debranching enzyme ISA1-ISA2 (to change branch point distribution/frequency). This revealed that the length of external chains is a key factor in the production of a crystallization-competent glucan. Remarkably, our results also provide evidence for phytoglycogen production due to mutations just in SSs. Our results indicate that this phenomenon is largely masked by the presence of ISA1-ISA2, which degrades the aberrant glucan instead of trimming it to amylopectin.