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High-Throughput Assays of Critical Thermal Limits in Insects
Published on: June 15, 2020
Evolution of the thermostability of actin-depolymerizing factors enhances the adaptation of pollen germination to
Dong Qian1, Tian Li1, Shuyuan Chen1
1MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Abstract:
Double fertilization in many flowering plants (angiosperms) often occurs during the hot summer season, but the mechanisms that enable angiosperms to adapt specifically to high temperatures are largely unknown. The actin cytoskeleton is essential for pollen germination and the polarized growth of pollen tubes, yet how this process responds to high temperatures remains unclear. Here, we reveal that the high thermal stability of 11 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) actin-depolymerizing factors (ADFs) is significantly different: ADFs that specifically accumulate in tip-growing cells (pollen and root hairs) exhibit high thermal stability. Through ancestral protein reconstruction, we found that subclass II ADFs (expressed specifically in pollen) have undergone a dynamic wave-like evolution of the retention, loss, and regeneration of thermostable sites. Additionally, the sites of AtADF7 with high thermal stability are conserved in ADFs specific to angiosperm pollen. Moreover, the high thermal stability of ADFs is required to regulate actin dynamics and turnover at high temperatures to promote pollen germination. Collectively, these findings suggest strategies for the adaptation of sexual reproduction to high temperature in angiosperms at the cell biology level.
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