The other Side of the Mirror: mRNA Transport and Non-Cell-Autonomous Activity in the Male Germ Unit

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Intercellular communication inArabidopsis thalianapollen discovered viaAHG3transcript movement from the vegetative cell to sperm

Publication . Jiang, Hua; Yi, Jun; Boavida, Leonor C.; Chen, Yuan; Becker, Jörg D.; Köhler, Claudia; McCormick, Sheila

An Arabidopsis pollen grain (male gametophyte) consists of three cells: the vegetative cell, which forms the pollen tube, and two sperm cells enclosed within the vegetative cell. It is still unclear if there is intercellular communication between the vegetative cell and the sperm cells. Here we show that ABA-hypersensitive germination3 (AHG3), encoding a protein phosphatase, is specifically transcribed in the vegetative cell but predominantly translated in sperm cells. We used a series of deletion constructs and promoter exchanges to document transport of AHG3 transcripts from the vegetative cell to sperm and showed that their transport requires sequences in both the 5' UTR and the coding region. Thus, in addition its known role in transporting sperm during pollen tube growth, the vegetative cell also contributes transcripts to the sperm cells.

2015-10-27Journal article

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