Effects of water stress on male gametophyte development in plants |
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Authors: | Hargurdeep S Saini |
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Institution: | (1) Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, 4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2 Canada Tel. +1–514–872–0272; Fax +1–514–872–9406; e-mail Sainih@ere.umontreal.ca, CA |
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Abstract: | Male reproductive development in plants is highly sensitive to water deficit during meiosis in the microspore mother cells.
Water deficit during this stage inhibits further development of microspores or pollen grains, causing male sterility. Female
fertility, in contrast, is quite immune to stress. The injury is apparently not caused by desiccation of the reproductive
tissue, but is an indirect consequence of water deficit in the vegetative organs, such as leaves. The mechanism underlying
this stress response probably involves a long-distance signaling molecule, originating in the organs that undergo water loss,
and affecting fertility in the reproductive tissue, which conserves its water status. Much research has been focused on the
involvement of abscisic acid in this regard, but the most recent evidence tends to reject a role for this hormone in the induction
of male sterility. Stress-induced arrest of male gametophyte development is preceded by disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism
and distribution within anthers, and an inhibition of the key sugar-cleaving enzyme, acid invertase. Since invertase gene
expression can be modulated by sugar concentration, it is possible that decreased sugar delivery to reproductive tissue upon
inhibition of photosynthesis by stress is the signal that triggers metabolic lesions leading to failure of male gametophyte
development.
Received: 31 October 1996 / Revision accepted: 18 February 1997 |
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Keywords: | Pollen Anther Male fertility Male sterility Water stress Male gametophyte |
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