Temporal Gene Expression and Functional Acquisition in Pollen Tubes

Abstract

Pollen tubes are essential for the reproductive processes of angiosperms and have been the subject of much research. The molecules responsible for pollen tube germination, growth, and directional control were identified. Recently, we proposed a new hypothesis of when the genes encoding these proteins are expressed and how pollen-tube capabilities are acquired. In this review, we discuss the results of recent studies in this field with a particular focus on the timing of gene expression in Arabidopsis pollen tubes. Based on this review, future prospects for pollen tube research in plants are also discussed.