Pollen wall development: the associated enzymes and metabolic pathways
Jingjing Jiang(Nanjing Institute of Vegetable Science), Zhenyang Zhang(Nanjing Institute of Vegetable Science), Jiashu Cao(Nanjing Institute of Vegetable Science)
Cited by 182
Abstract
Pollen grains are surrounded by a sculpted wall, which protects male gametophytes from various environmental stresses and microbial attacks, and also facilitates pollination. Pollen wall development requires lipid and polysaccharide metabolism, and some key genes and proteins that participate in these processes have recently been identified. Here, we summarise the genes and describe their functions during pollen wall development via several metabolic pathways. A working model involving substances and catalytic enzyme reactions that occur during pollen development is also presented. This model provides information on the complete process of pollen wall development with respect to metabolic pathways.