Plant Reproduction

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 22383

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
Interests: reproduction; self-incompatibility systems; pollen tube growth; signal transduction; molecular genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of flowers, seeds and pollen, and their functioning in breeding systems, have all been integral to the success of plants in terrestrial environments. The intent of this Special Issue is to provide a focal point to report novel data that enhance our understanding of the evolution of flowers and breeding systems, and the genetic or physiological mechanisms by which reproductive organs are produced and carry out their functions. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to, pollen and ovule development, regulation of pollen tube growth, signaling in pollen/pistil interactions, self-incompatibility systems, and floral evolution.

Dr. Andrew McCubbin
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • pollen and ovule development
  • regulation of pollen tube growth
  • signaling in pollen pistil interactions
  • self-incompatibility systems
  • floral evolution
  • Plant Reproduction

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 613 KiB  
Article
Pollination Type Recognition from a Distance by the Ovary Is Revealed Through a Global Transcriptomic Analysis
by Valentin Joly, Faïza Tebbji, André Nantel and Daniel P. Matton
Plants 2019, 8(6), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8060185 - 24 Jun 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3632
Abstract
Sexual reproduction in flowering plants involves intimate contact and continuous interactions between the growing pollen tube and the female reproductive structures. These interactions can trigger responses in distal regions of the flower well ahead of fertilization. While pollination-induced petal senescence has been studied [...] Read more.
Sexual reproduction in flowering plants involves intimate contact and continuous interactions between the growing pollen tube and the female reproductive structures. These interactions can trigger responses in distal regions of the flower well ahead of fertilization. While pollination-induced petal senescence has been studied extensively, less is known about how pollination is perceived at a distance in the ovary, and how specific this response is to various pollen genotypes. To address this question, we performed a global transcriptomic analysis in the ovary of a wild potato species, Solanum chacoense, at various time points following compatible, incompatible, and heterospecific pollinations. In all cases, pollen tube penetration in the stigma was initially perceived as a wounding aggression. Then, as the pollen tubes grew in the style, a growing number of genes became specific to each pollen genotype. Functional classification analyses revealed sharp differences in the response to compatible and heterospecific pollinations. For instance, the former induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes while the latter affected genes associated to ethylene signaling. In contrast, incompatible pollination remained more akin to a wound response. Our analysis reveals that every pollination type produces a specific molecular signature generating diversified and specific responses at a distance in the ovary in preparation for fertilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Reproduction)
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19 pages, 3749 KiB  
Article
Embryology in Helosis cayennensis (Balanophoraceae): Structure of Female Flowers, Fruit, Endosperm and Embryo
by Ana Maria Gonzalez, Héctor A. Sato and Brigitte Marazzi
Plants 2019, 8(3), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8030074 - 22 Mar 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7919
Abstract
Helosis cayennensis (Balanophoraceae s.str.) is a holoparasite characterised by aberrant vegetative bodies and tiny, reduced unisexual flowers. Here, we analysed the development of female flowers to elucidate their morpho-anatomy and the historical controversy on embryo sac formation. We also studied the developmental origin [...] Read more.
Helosis cayennensis (Balanophoraceae s.str.) is a holoparasite characterised by aberrant vegetative bodies and tiny, reduced unisexual flowers. Here, we analysed the development of female flowers to elucidate their morpho-anatomy and the historical controversy on embryo sac formation. We also studied the developmental origin of inflorescences and the ontogeny of fruits, embryo and endosperm and discussed in a phylogenetic framework. Inflorescences were analysed by optical, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. Inflorescences of H. cayennensis arise endogenously. Female flowers lack perianth organs, thus only consist of the ovary, two styles and stigmata. Ovules are undifferentiated; two megaspore mother cells develop inside a nucellar complex. The female gametophyte, named Helosis-type, is a bisporic four-celled embryo sac, provided with a typical egg apparatus and a uni-nucleated central cell. Fertilization was not observed, yet a few-celled embryo and cellular endosperm developed. In sum, results confirm that, among Santalales holoparasites, Helosis is intermediate in the reduction series of its floral organs. Although perianth absence best supports the Balanophoraceae s.str. clade, our literature survey on female flower developmental data across Balanophoraceae s.l. highlights the many gaps that need to be filled to really understand these features in the light of new phylogenetic relationships. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Reproduction)
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Review

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14 pages, 1144 KiB  
Review
Signaling in Pollen Tube Growth: Beyond the Tip of the Polarity Iceberg
by Nolan Scheible and Andrew McCubbin
Plants 2019, 8(6), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8060156 - 7 Jun 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5755
Abstract
The coordinated growth of pollen tubes through floral tissues to deliver the sperm cells to the egg and facilitate fertilization is a highly regulated process critical to the Angiosperm life cycle. Studies suggest that the concerted action of a variety of signaling pathways [...] Read more.
The coordinated growth of pollen tubes through floral tissues to deliver the sperm cells to the egg and facilitate fertilization is a highly regulated process critical to the Angiosperm life cycle. Studies suggest that the concerted action of a variety of signaling pathways underlies the rapid polarized tip growth exhibited by pollen tubes. Ca2+ and small GTPase-mediated pathways have emerged as major players in the regulation of pollen tube growth. Evidence suggests that these two signaling pathways not only integrate with one another but also with a variety of other important signaling events. As we continue to elucidate the mechanisms involved in pollen tube growth, there is a growing importance in taking a holistic approach to studying these pathways in order to truly understand how tip growth in pollen tubes is orchestrated and maintained. This review considers our current state of knowledge of Ca2+-mediated and GTPase signaling pathways in pollen tubes, how they may intersect with one another, and other signaling pathways involved. There will be a particular focus on recent reports that have extended our understanding in these areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Reproduction)
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Other

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6 pages, 2641 KiB  
Protocol
Revised and Improved Procedure for Immunolocalization of Male Meiotic Chromosomal Proteins and Spindle in Plants without the Use of Enzymes
by Kuntal De, Li Yuan and Christopher A. Makaroff
Plants 2018, 7(4), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants7040093 - 29 Oct 2018
Viewed by 3779
Abstract
Immunolocalization studies to visualize the distribution of proteins on meiotic chromosomes have become an integral part of studies on meiosis in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. These techniques have been used to visualize a wide range of meiotic proteins involved in different [...] Read more.
Immunolocalization studies to visualize the distribution of proteins on meiotic chromosomes have become an integral part of studies on meiosis in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. These techniques have been used to visualize a wide range of meiotic proteins involved in different aspects of meiosis, including sister chromatid cohesion, recombination, synapsis, and chromosome segregation. However, the analysis of meiotic spindle structure by immunofluorescence is of outstanding importance in plant reproductive biology and is very challenging. In the following report, we describe the complete and easy protocol for the localization of proteins to the male meiotic spindle and male meiotic chromosomes. The protocol is fast, improved, and robust without the use of any harsh enzymes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Reproduction)
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