regulation of pollen tube growth in Douglas fir following high doses of ionizing radiation

Acute irradiation of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) pollen by X-rays enhances pollen tube elongation. To determine whether this effect was due to physical damage of the pollen membranes or to metabolic processes, irradiated and control pollen were grown under conditions of anoxia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Planta 1978, Vol.140 (3), p.283-288
Main Authors: Donk, J.A. van der, Livingston, G.K, Linskens, H.F, Donk, M. van der
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Gene expression regulation
Germination
Irradiation
Oxygen
Plant growth regulators
Pollen
Pollen tubes
Polyribosomes
Protein synthesis
Pseudotsuga menziesii
RNA
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Summary:Acute irradiation of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) pollen by X-rays enhances pollen tube elongation. To determine whether this effect was due to physical damage of the pollen membranes or to metabolic processes, irradiated and control pollen were grown under conditions of anoxia. Thus, it was determined that physical damage only could be of minor importance. As parameters for metabolic processes RNA- and protein synthesis were studied. The only difference between irradiated and control pollen with respect to RNA synthesis was the time at which it started. Protein synthesis in vitro revealed that polyribosomes from irradiated pollen were more active than those from control pollen at lower concentrations. These results were confirmed by in ovo experiments with both polysomal preparations. The results indicate that X-ray irradiation is interfering with the main regulatory mechanism of pollen tube growth, which is de- and re-masking of, mainly, presynthesized mRNA.
ISSN:0032-0935
1432-2048
DOI:10.1007/BF00390261