Glutamate receptor-like genes form Ca2+ channels in pollen tubes and are regulated by pistil D-serine.
| Title | Glutamate receptor-like genes form Ca2+ channels in pollen tubes and are regulated by pistil D-serine. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Michard E, Lima PT, Borges F, Silva ACatarina, Portes MTeresa, Carvalho JE, Gilliham M, Liu L-H, Obermeyer G, Feijó JA |
| Journal | Science |
| Volume | 332 |
| Issue | 6028 |
| Pagination | 434-7 |
| Date Published | 2011 Apr 22 |
| ISSN | 1095-9203 |
| Keywords | 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, Arabidopsis, Calcium, Calcium Channels, Calcium Signaling, Cell Membrane, Cytosol, Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists, Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists, Flowers, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Genes, Plant, Glycine, Morphogenesis, Patch-Clamp Techniques, Plants, Genetically Modified, Pollen Tube, Racemases and Epimerases, Receptors, Glutamate, Serine, Tobacco |
| Abstract | Elevations in cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) constitute a fundamental signal transduction mechanism in eukaryotic cells, but the molecular identity of Ca(2+) channels initiating this signal in plants is still under debate. Here, we show by pharmacology and loss-of-function mutants that in tobacco and Arabidopsis, glutamate receptor-like channels (GLRs) facilitate Ca(2+) influx across the plasma membrane, modulate apical [Ca(2+)](cyt) gradient, and consequently affect pollen tube growth and morphogenesis. Additionally, wild-type pollen tubes grown in pistils of knock-out mutants for serine-racemase (SR1) displayed growth defects consistent with a decrease in GLR activity. Our findings reveal a novel plant signaling mechanism between male gametophyte and pistil tissue similar to amino acid-mediated communication commonly observed in animal nervous systems. |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1201101 |
| Alternate Journal | Science |
| PubMed ID | 21415319 |
