Polarized subcellular activation of Rho proteins by specific ROPGEFs drives pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: During plant fertilization, excess male gametes compete for a limited number of female gametes. The dormant male gametophyte, encapsulated in the pollen grain, consists of two sperm cells enclosed in a vegetative cell. After reaching the stigma of a compatible flower, quick and efficient germination of the vegetative cell to a tip-growing pollen tube is crucial to ensure fertilization success. Rho of Plants (ROP) signaling and their activating ROP Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors (ROPGEFs) are essential for initiating polar growth processes in multiple cell types. However, which ROPGEFs activate pollen germination is unknown. We investigated the role of ROPGEFs in initiating pollen germination and the required cell polarity establishment. Of the five pollen-expressed ROPGEFs, we found t

SUBMITTER: Bouatta AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12043234 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature