Autophagy is an integral part of the plant life cycle where it contributes to remodeling of tissues during plant development, and in plant responses to nutrient deficiencies, pathogens, and other environmental stresses. Recently, we reported the involvement of autophagy as part of the self-incompatibility response in the mustard family. Self-incompatibility is a polymorphic genetic system that results in rejection of self-incompatible male pollen by the female pistil, thereby preventing self-fertilization. Our data show that autophagy is part of the cellular rejection response in the underlying pistil cells to prevent vesicle secretion to self-pollen thus causing rejection.
Keywords: ARC1 E3 ligase; S Receptor Kinase; autophagy; pollen-pistil interactions; self-incompatibility; vesicle secretion.