Changes in morphogen kinetics and pollen grain size are potential mechanisms of aberrant pollen aperture patterning in previously observed and novel mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: Pollen provides an excellent system to study pattern formation at the single-cell level. Pollen surface is covered by the pollen wall exine, whose deposition is excluded from certain surface areas, the apertures, which vary between the species in their numbers, positions, and morphology. What determines aperture patterns is not understood. Arabidopsis thaliana normally develops three apertures, equally spaced along the pollen equator. However, Arabidopsis mutants whose pollen has higher ploidy and larger volume develop four or more apertures. To explore possible mechanisms responsible for aperture patterning, we developed a mathematical model based on the Gierer-Meinhardt system of equations. This model was able to recapitulate aperture patterns observed in the wild-type and higher-ploidy

SUBMITTER: Plourde SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6394904 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature