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Updated: May 30, 2026

Live Imaging of Arabidopsis Pollen Tube Reception and Double Fertilization Using the Semi-In Vitro Cum Septum Method
Published on: February 24, 2023
She's the boss: signaling in pollen tube reception
Sharon A Kessler1, Ueli Grossniklaus
1Institute of Plant Biology & Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland. skessler@botinst.uzh.ch
Abstract:
In angiosperms, the sperm cells are carried within the pollen tubes (male gametophytes) to the female gametophyte so that double fertilization can occur. The female gametophyte exerts control over the male, with specialized cells known as synergids guiding the pollen tubes and controlling their behavior when they enter the female gametophyte so that the sperm cells can be delivered to the egg and central cell. Upon pollen tube arrival at the ovule, signal transduction cascades mediated by receptor-like kinases are initiated in both the synergid and the tip of the pollen tube, leading to synergid cell death and pollen tube rupture. In this review, we discuss the role of these receptors and of newly discovered members of the pollen tube reception pathway.
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