Cell-cell communication in plants: self-incompatibility in flower development
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V A Dzelzkalns1, J B Nasrallah, M E Nasrallah
1Section of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.
Abstract:
Self-incompatibility, a mechanism that prevents self-fertilization in plants, is based on the ability of the pistil to discern the presence of self-pollen and on the female tissue's capacity to inhibit the growth or germination of self-related, but not of genetically unrelated, pollen. As a self-recognition system, self-incompatibility responds to specific cellular products and signals and thus offers a unique system in which to study the components of cellular communication in plants. The cytological manifestations of self-incompatibility have been well studied, and, with the cloning of cDNAs for several proteins associated with this recognition process, a detailed molecular view of self-incompatibility is emerging.