The central cell plays a critical role in pollen tube guidance in Arabidopsis

Plant Cell. 2007 Nov;19(11):3563-77. doi: 10.1105/tpc.107.053967. Epub 2007 Nov 30.

Abstract

The sperm cell of flowering plants cannot migrate unaided and must be transported by the pollen tube cell of the male gametophyte to achieve successful fertilization. Long-distance pollen tube guidance is controlled by the seven-celled female gametophyte, the embryo sac. Previous reports showed that the synergid cell of the embryo sac is essential for pollen tube guidance. Here, we report the identification of a central cell guidance (ccg) mutant, which is defective in micropylar pollen tube guidance. CCG encodes a nuclear protein with an N-terminal conserved zinc beta-ribbon domain that is functionally interchangeable with that of TFIIB in yeast. This suggests that CCG might act as a transcription regulator for pollen tube guidance. CCG is expressed in the central cell of the female gametophyte. Expression of CCG in the central cell alone is sufficient to restore the normal pollen tube guidance phenotype, demonstrating that the central cell plays a critical role in pollen tube guidance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Arabidopsis / cytology*
  • Arabidopsis / embryology
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / ultrastructure
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / chemistry
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Lineage
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Fertilization
  • Gametogenesis
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Genes, Plant
  • Glucuronidase / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutant Proteins / chemistry
  • Mutant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Organ Specificity
  • Phenotype
  • Pollen Tube / cytology*
  • Pollen Tube / embryology
  • Pollen Tube / genetics
  • Pollen Tube / ultrastructure
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Seedlings / cytology
  • Seedlings / genetics
  • Seedlings / ultrastructure
  • Transcription Factor TFIIB / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors, TFII / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Mutant Proteins
  • Transcription Factor TFIIB
  • Transcription Factors, TFII
  • Glucuronidase
  • transcription factor TFIIF