The microtubular cytoskeleton in pollen tubes: Structure and role in organelle trafficking

Abstract

Microtubules are a fundamental component of plant cells, in which they achieve many critical functions. In pollen tubes, however, their specific role remains unsolved and ambiguous. Microtubules are extremely abundant in the pollen tube and are undoubtedly important in critical processes like the transport of sperm cells. Recent advances have also shown a dynamic interaction with pollen tube organelles and a low speed translocation suggesting that microtubules are not strictly essential in the cytoplasmic streaming but rather in the regulation of such process. Here we focus on the organization of microtubules and on their putative role in the transport of pollen tube organelles. We will discuss the model of functional cooperation between microtubules and actin filaments and adapt it to the pollen tube system. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.