Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Elongation of Tomato （Lycopersicum esculentum L.） Regulated by Cell Wall Invertase through Sucrose Hydrolysis

Sucrose is a sugar required for pollen germination and pollen tube elongation. It is little known on the regulation mechanism. As such, this research was conducted to reveal mechanism pathway of the sugar in regulating pollen germination and pollen tube elongation by cell wall invertase. The pollen grains, respectively originated from wild type and transgenic tomato plants, which had been silenced their inhibitor gene （INVINH1） of the cell wall invertase were used in this study. The pollen grains were cultured in media containing glucose, fi＇uctose or sucrose. Results of the study showed that percentage of the pollen germination derived from transgenic plants was much higher than that from wild type plants. Moreover, pollen tube elongation was longer in transgenic plants compared with wild type plants. Interestingly, these results were observed in medium containing sucrose only, but not in glucose and fructose. This result suggests that cell wall invertase activity regulates pollen germination and pollen tube elongation through sucrose hydrolysis.

Late spring cold reduces grain number at various spike positions by regulating spike growth and assimilate distribution in winter wheat

Late spring cold(LSC) occurred in the reproductive period of wheat impairs spike and floret differentiation during the reproductive period,when young spikelets are very cold-sensitive.However,under LSC,the responses of wheat spikelets at various positions,leaves,and stems and the interactions between them at physiological levels remain unclear.In the present study,two-year treatments at terminal spikelet stage under two temperatures(2 C,-2 C) and durations(1,2,and 3 days) were imposed in an artificial climate chamber to compare the effects of LSC on grain number and yield in the wheat cultivars Yannong 19(YN19,cold-tolerant) and Xinmai 26(XM26,cold-sensitive).The night temperature regimes were designed to reproduce natural temperature variation.LSC delayed plant growth and inhibited spike and floret differentiation,leading to high yield losses in both cultivars.LSC reduced dry matter accumulation(DMA,g) in spikes,stems,and leaves,reducing the DMA ratios of the spike to leaf and spike to stem.Plant cell wall invertase(CWINV) activity increased in upper and basal spikelets in YN19,whereas CWINV increased in middle spikelets in XM26.Under LSC,soluble sugar and glucose were transported and distributed mainly in upper and basal spikelets for glume and rachis development,so that spike development was relatively complete in YN19,whereas the upper and basal spikelets were severely damaged and most of the glumes in middle spikelets were relatively completely developed in XM26,resulting in pollen abortion mainly in upper and basal spikelets.The development of glumes and rachides was influenced and grain number per spike was decreased after LSC,with kernels present mainly in middle spikelets.Overall,reduced total DMA and dry matter partitioning to spikes under LSC results in poor spikelet development,leading to high losses of grain yield.

Effect of High Temperature on Sucrose Content and Sucrose Cleaving Enzyme Activity in Rice Grain During the Filling Stage

Dynamic changes of sucrose, fructose, glucose contents and differences in activities of sucrose synthase, vacuolar invertase, and cell wall bound invertase in rice grain after flowering stage were studied under natural and high temperatures by using two japonica rice varieties Koshihikari and Sasanishiki. In rice grains, the sucrose synthase activity was higher than that of invertase, which was significantly correlated with starch accumulation rate, indicating that the sucrose synthase played an important role in sucrose degradation and starch synthesis. Under high temperature, the significant increase in grain sucrose content without any increase in fructose and glucose contents, suggested that the high temperature treatment enhanced sucrose accumulation, while diminished sucrose degradation in rice grains. Compared with the control plants, the decrease in activities of sucrose synthase, vacuolar invertase, and cell wall bound invertase with high temperature treated plants indicated that the deceleration of sucrose-degradation was related to the decrease in activities of sucrose synthase and invertase.

A Comparative Study on the Role of Cytokinins in Caryopsis Development in the Maize miniature1 Seed Mutant and Its Wild Type

We report here on a comparative developmental profile of plant hormone cytokinins in relation to cell size, cell number and endoreduplicaUon in developing maize caryopsis of a cell wall invertase-deficient miniature1 （mn1） seed mutant and its wild type, Mn1, genotype. Both genotypes showed extremely high levels of total cytokinins during the very early stages of development, followed by a marked and genotype specific reduction. While the decrease of cytokinins in Mn1 was associated with their deactivation by 9-glucosylation, the absolute and the relative part of active cytokinin forms was higher in the mutant. During the exponential growth phase of endosperm between 6 d after pollination and 9 d after pollination, the mean cell doubling time, the absolute growth rate and the level of endoreduplication were similar in the two genotypes. However, the entire duration of growth was longer in Mnl compared with mnl, resulting in a significantly higher cell number in the Mnl endosperm. These data correlate with the previously reported peak levels of the Mn1-encoded cell wall invertase-2 （INCW2） at 12 d after pollination in the Mn1 endosperm. A model showing possible crosstalk among cytokinins, cell cycle and cell wall invertase as causal to increased cell number and sink strength of the Mn1 developing endosperm is discussed.