title: How pollen tubes grow.
abstract: Sexual reproduction of flowering plants depends on delivery of the sperm to the egg, which occurs through a long, polarized projection of a pollen cell, called the pollen tube. The pollen tube grows exclusively at its tip, and this growth is distinguished by very fast rates and reaches extended lengths. Thus, one of the most fascinating aspects of pollen biology is the question of how enough cell wall material is produced to accommodate such rapid extension of pollen tube, and how the cell wall deposition and structure are regulated to allow for rapid changes in the direction of growth. This review discusses recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism of pollen tube growth, focusing on such basic cellular processes as control of cell shape and growth by a network of cell wall-modifying enzymes, molecular motor-mediated vesicular transport, and intracellular signaling by localized gradients of second messengers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, USA. akrichevsky@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krichevsky
authors.forename: Stanislav V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kozlovsky
authors.forename: Guo-Wei
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Min-Huei
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaltsman
authors.forename: Vitaly
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Citovsky
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D004398:Dyneins / Q000378:metabolism; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D016547:Kinesins / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D063245:Plant Development; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011058:Pollen / Q000254:growth & development; D053205:Pollen Tube / Q000254:growth & development*; D015290:Second Messenger Systems
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C478648:cellulose synthase; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; C022323:pectinesterase; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; D004398:Dyneins; D016547:Kinesins