Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Live Imaging of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Reception and Double Fertilization Using the Semi-In Vitro Cum Septum Method
Published on: February 24, 2023
Pollen sporoplasts: dissolution of pollen walls
F A Loewus1, B G Baldi, V R Franceschi
1Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164.
Abstract:
4-Methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate (MMNO.H(2)O), a potent solvent for polysaccharides, is an effective vehicle for release of membrane-enclosed male gametophytes (sporoplasts) from spore walls. This release occurs in minutes when pollen (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) is suspended in a melt of MMNO.H(2)O at 75 degrees C. Continued heating at 75 degrees C leads to distintegration of the exine ;shell' which coalesces into immiscible globules in the MMNO melt. These observations provide a general procedure for preparation of pollen sporoplasts and sporoplast outer membranes, and offer a new method for dissolving the sporopollenin component of the spore wall.
Related Concept Videos
The Phragmoplast
The...
The Phragmoplast
The...
Plasmodesmata
Intercellular junctions are a feature of fungal, plant, and animal cells. However, different types of junctions are found in different kinds of cells. Intercellular junctions found in animal cells include tight junctions, gap junctions, and...
Plasmodesmata
Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition
The Apoplast and Symplast

