Pollen sporoplasts: Dissolution of pollen walls

Abstract

4-Methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate (MMNO· H 2 O), a potent solvent for polysaccharides, is an effective vehicle for release of membrane-enclosed male gametophytes (sporoplasts) from spore walls. This release occurs in minutes when pollen (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) is suspended in a melt of MMNO·H 2 O at 75°C. Continued heating at 75°C leads to distintegration ofthe exine 'shell' which coalesces into immiscible globules in the MMNO melt. These observations provide a general procedure for preparation of pollen sporoplasts and sporoplast outer membranes, and offer a new method for dissolving the sporopollenin component of the spore wall.