title: Gametophytic Pollen Tube Guidance: Attractant Peptides, Gametic Controls, and Receptors.
abstract: Pollen tube guidance in flowering plants is a unique and critical process for successful sexual reproduction. The pollen tube that grows from pollen, which is the male gametophyte, precisely navigates to the embryo sac, which is the female gametophyte, within the pistil. Recent advances have clarified the molecular framework of gametophytic pollen tube guidance. Multiple species-specific attractant peptides are secreted from synergid cells, the proper development and function of which are regulated by female gametes. Multiple receptor-like kinases on the pollen tube tip are involved in sensing species-specific attractant peptides. In this Update article, recent progress in our understanding of the mechanism of gametophytic pollen tube guidance is reviewed, including attraction by synergid cells, control of pollen tube guidance by female gametes, and directional growth of the pollen tube by directional cue sensing. Future directions in the study of pollen tube guidance also are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan (T.H.); higashi@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp wcyang@genetics.ac.cn.|Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, and JST ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan (T.H.); and higashi@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp wcyang@genetics.ac.cn.|State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China (W.Y.) higashi@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp wcyang@genetics.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7346-360X
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higashiyama
authors.affiliation: Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan (T.H.); higashi@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp wcyang@genetics.ac.cn.|Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, and JST ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan (T.H.); and higashi@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp wcyang@genetics.ac.cn.|State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China (W.Y.) higashi@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp wcyang@genetics.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Wei-Cai
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0252-7079
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D008954:Models, Biological; D056771:Ovule / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D053205:Pollen Tube / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides