Autophagy-mediated compartmental cytoplasmic deletion is essential for tobacco pollen germination and male fertility.

ABSTRACT: In plants, macroautophagy/autophagy has mainly been associated with stress-related processes but how it impacts normal physiological and developmental processes remains largely unexplored. Pollen germination is the critical first step toward fertilization in flowering plants. It is metabolically demanding and relies on high levels of cytoplasmic reorganization activities to support a dramatic morphological transformation that underlies the development of a pollen tube as the conduit to deliver sperm for fertilization. The role of autophagy in this process remains unclear. Here we provide evidence that pollen germination is accompanied by elevated autophagic activity and successful pollen tube emergence depends on autophagy-mediated cytoplasmic deletion. Genetic and cytological experiments

SUBMITTER: Zhao P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7751669 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature