Abstract
Male gametophyte in higher plants contains characteristic lipid-rich organelles. Much of the pollen coat material derives from two tapetal lipid-rich organelles: tapetosome and elaioplast. The analysis of lipid components of tapetosome, elaioplast, male gametophyte and pollen coat revealed that they packages a defined series of lipid components. Recently, it is becoming clear that the lipids are critical on the male gametophyte development by reverse-genetic strategy using Arabidopsis. We describe here recent achievements on the role of lipids on the male gametophyte and tapetum development.
