title: Male gametophyte development and function in angiosperms: a general concept.
abstract: Overview of pollen development. Male gametophyte development of angiosperms is a complex process that requires coordinated activity of different cell types and tissues of both gametophytic and sporophytic origin and the appropriate specific gene expression. Pollen ontogeny is also an excellent model for the dissection of cellular networks that control cell growth, polarity, cellular differentiation and cell signaling. This article describes two sequential phases of angiosperm pollen ontogenesis-developmental phase leading to the formation of mature pollen grains, and a functional or progamic phase, beginning with the impact of the grains on the stigma surface and ending at double fertilization. Here we present an overview of important cellular processes in pollen development and explosive pollen tube growth stressing the importance of reserves accumulation and mobilization and also the mutual activation of pollen tube and pistil tissues, pollen tube guidance and the communication between male and female gametophytes. We further describe the recent advances in regulatory mechanisms involved such as posttranscriptional regulation (including mass transcript storage) and posttranslational modifications to modulate protein function, intracellular metabolic signaling, ionic gradients such as Ca(2+) and H(+) ions, cell wall synthesis, protein secretion and intercellular signaling within the reproductive tissues.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR, v.v.i., Rozvojová 263, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Said
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hafidh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR, v.v.i., Rozvojová 263, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fíla
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR, v.v.i., Rozvojová 263, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic. david@ueb.cas.cz.|Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 5, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic. david@ueb.cas.cz.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Honys
mesh_terms: D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D011058:Pollen / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism
keywords: Flowering plants; Male gametophyte; Pollen development; Pollen tube growth