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Spatiotemporal features of microsporogenesis in the cycad species Macrozamia communis

Xiaodong Yan1, Mei Bai1, Xiping Ning1

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangzhou 510642, China.

American Journal of Botany
|July 23, 2015
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Advance cell wall ingrowths (ACWIs) in cycad microsporocytes form early, preceding cell plate formation. These findings offer insights into seed plant evolution and comparative microsporogenesis studies.

Area of Science:

  • Plant reproductive biology
  • Evolutionary botany
  • Cellular development

Background:

  • Spatiotemporal features of microsporogenesis are crucial for understanding seed plant evolution.
  • Advance cell wall ingrowths (ACWIs) are observed in ancient angiosperms (Magnolia) and gymnosperms (cycads), suggesting evolutionary significance.
  • Investigating ACWIs in cycads can illuminate their establishment and role in comparative microsporogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the process of microsporogenesis in the cycad species Macrozamia communis.
  • To characterize the formation and features of advance cell wall ingrowths (ACWIs) during microsporocyte division.
  • To understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of cytokinesis in relation to ACWIs in cycads.

Main Methods:

  • Microscopic analysis including bright-field, epifluorescence, confocal laser scanning, and transmission electron microscopy.
  • Detailed observation of microsporocyte divisions in Macrozamia communis.
  • Characterization of cellular structures associated with cytokinesis.

Main Results:

  • Advance cell wall ingrowths (ACWIs) form as callose rings in prophase-II microsporocytes of M. communis, without immediate cytokinetic apparatuses.
  • Subsequent to the second nuclear division, thinner ACWIs form between newly generated nuclei.
  • Cell plate formation occurs within the planes of ACWIs, typically resulting in tetragonal tetrads.

Conclusions:

  • In Macrozamia communis microsporogenesis, cytokinesis initiates at the cell periphery before internal cell plate formation.
  • The identified cellular features in M. communis provide valuable reference points for comparative studies of microsporogenesis across plant species.
  • This research contributes to understanding the evolutionary trajectory of microsporogenesis in seed plants.
Keywords:
Macrozamia communisMagnoliaZamiaceaecallosecycadscytokinesisevolutionmicrosporogenesisseed plants

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