Abstract
We have identified 45 RLKs expressed in pollen and the pollen tubes of Arabidopsis thaliana through a comparison of several tissues' gene expression profiles. No dramatic phenotypes were observed in vivo in each single gene T-DNA insertion line, so double disruptions in sister genes seemed to be necessary. Nine sets of double gene disruptant lines were made for further analyses. We found one line, which hardly harbored seeds although its plant shape and size looked normal. Reciprocal crosses demonstrated its male defects. In vitro, 88% of pollen tube tips burst just after starting germination, thereby stopping its growth. In vivo, the pollen tube growth was stopped from papilla-stigmatic to style tissues. Phenotypes such as skewed segregation rate in self-fertilization and impaired pollen tube growth in disruptants were complemented with native promoter-driven YFP/CFP fusion proteins. We will discuss roles of RLK regulated pollen tube growth in the fertilization.
