Exocytosis-coordinated mechanisms for tip growth underlie pollen tube growth guidance

Nat Commun. 2017 Nov 22;8(1):1687. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01452-0.

Abstract

Many tip-growing cells are capable of responding to guidance cues, during which cells precisely steer their growth toward the source of guidance signals. Though several players in signal perception have been identified, little is known about the downstream signaling that controls growth direction during guidance. Here, using combined modeling and experimental studies, we demonstrate that the growth guidance of Arabidopsis pollen tubes is regulated by the signaling network that controls tip growth. Tip-localized exocytosis plays a key role in this network by integrating guidance signals with the ROP1 Rho GTPase signaling and coordinating intracellular signaling with cell wall mechanics. This model reproduces the high robustness and responsiveness of pollen tube guidance and explains the connection between guidance efficiency and the parameters of the tip growth system. Hence, our findings establish an exocytosis-coordinated mechanism underlying the cellular pathfinding guided by signal gradients and the mechanistic linkage between tip growth and guidance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / growth & development*
  • Arabidopsis / physiology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / physiology
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Cell Shape / physiology
  • Cell Wall / physiology
  • Exocytosis / physiology
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / physiology
  • Models, Biological
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Pollen Tube / cytology
  • Pollen Tube / growth & development*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • GTP-Binding Proteins
  • ROP1 protein, Arabidopsis