ROS and Ions in Cell Signaling during Sexual Plant Reproduction

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 21; no. 24; p. 9476
• Main Authors: Breygina, Maria, Klimenko, Ekaterina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 13.12.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Angiosperms; Control theory; Cycadopsida - metabolism; Cytoplasm; Dormancy; Enzymes; Feedback loops; Flowering; Germination; Gymnosperms; Homeostasis; Hydration; Hypotheses; Ion exchange; Ion transport; ions; Ions - metabolism; Kinases; Metabolism; Mitochondria; Peptides; Physiology; Plant reproduction; Plants (botany); Plants - embryology; Plants - metabolism; Pollen; Pollen - growth & development; Pollen - metabolism; pollen germination; pollen tube growth; Proteins; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Reproduction (biology); Reproduction - genetics; Reproduction - physiology; Review; ROS; Signal Transduction - genetics; Signal Transduction - physiology; Tobacco; Transportation systems; pollen germination; ions; plant reproduction; pollen tube growth; ROS
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249476

Pollen grain is a unique haploid organism characterized by two key physiological processes: activation of metabolism upon exiting dormancy and polar tube growth. In gymnosperms and flowering plants, these processes occur in different time frames and exhibit important features; identification of similarities and differences is still in the active phase. In angiosperms, the growth of male gametophyte is directed and controlled by its microenvironment, while in gymnosperms it is relatively autonomous. Recent reviews have detailed aspects of interaction between angiosperm female tissues and pollen such as interactions between peptides and their receptors; however, accumulated evidence suggests low-molecular communication, in particular, through ion exchange and ROS production, equally important for polar growth as well as for pollen germination. Recently, it became clear that ROS and ionic currents form a single regulatory module, since ROS production and the activity of ion transport systems are closely interrelated and form a feedback loop.