title: Ensuring Reproduction at High Temperatures: The Heat Stress Response during Anther and Pollen Development.
abstract: Sexual reproduction in flowering plants is very sensitive to environmental stresses, particularly to thermal insults which frequently occur when plants grow in field conditions in the warm season. Although abnormalities in both male and female reproductive organs due to high temperatures have been described in several crops, the failure to set fruits has mainly been attributed to the high sensitivity of developing anthers and pollen grains, particularly at certain developmental stages. A global view of the molecular mechanisms involved in the response to high temperatures in the male reproductive organs will be presented in this review. In addition, transcriptome and proteomic data, currently available, will be discussed in the light of physiological and metabolic changes occurring during anther and pollen development. A deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the stress response to high temperatures in flowers and, particularly, in the male reproductive organs will be a major step towards development of effective breeding strategies for high and stable production in crop plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands. mgiorno@science.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giorno
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands. mwolters@science.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolters-Arts
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands. c.mariani@science.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Celestina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands. i.rieu@science.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rieu
keywords: fruit set; heat stress; male sterility; pollen development; tomato