whole-mount-clearing-staining-arabidopsis-flower-organs

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of <em>Arabidopsis</em> Flower Organs and Siliques

Due to its formidable tools for molecular genetic studies, Arabidopsis thaliana is one of the most prominent model species in plant biology and, ...

University of Zurich

The accumulation of starch within photosynthetic tissues and within dedicated storage organs has been characterized extensively in many species, and a function in buffering carbon availability or in fueling later growth phases, respectively, has been proposed. However, developmentally regulated starch turnover within heterotrophic tissues other than dedicated storage organs is poorly characterized, and its function is not well understood. Here, we report on the characterization of starch turnover during flower, early embryo, and silique development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) using a combined clearing-staining technique on whole-mount tissue. Besides the two previously documented waves of transient starch accumulation in the stamen envelope, occurring during meiosis and pollen mitosis I, we identified a novel, third wave of starch amylogenesis/amylolysis during the last stages of stamen development. To gain insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms, we analyzed publicly available microarray data, which revealed a developmentally coordinated expression of carbohydrate transport and metabolism genes during these waves of transient starch accumulation. Based on this analysis, we characterized starch dynamics in mutants affecting hexose phosphate metabolism and translocation, and identified the Glc-6-phosphate/phosphate antiporter GPT1 as the putative translocator of Glc-6-phosphate for starch biosynthesis in reproductive tissues. Based on these results, we propose a model of starch synthesis within the pollen grain and discuss the nutrient transport route feeding the embryo within the developing seed.

Starch Turnover and Metabolism during Flower and Early Embryo Development.

In this introductory chapter, we describe male germline development in plants taking Arabidopsis thaliana as a reference species. We first describe the transition from sporophytic to germline development, then microsporogenesis including meiosis, followed by male gametophyte development prior to pollination, and finally the progamic phase culminating in double fertilization, which leads to the formation of the embryo and the endosperm. For detailed information on some of these processes or on the molecular underpinning of certain fate transitions, we refer the reader to recent reviews. An important but often neglected aspect of male gametophyte development is the formation of the unique pollen cell wall. In contrast to that of other plant cells, the pollen cell wall is composed of two principal layers, the intine and exine. While the intine, the inner pecto-cellulosic cell wall layer, is biochemically and structurally similar to a "classical" plant cell wall, the exine is a unique composite with sporopollenin as its main component. Biosynthesis of the cell wall is remarkably similar between the spores of mosses and ferns, and pollen of seed plants, although slight differences exist, even between closely related species (reviewed in Wallace et al., AoB Plants 2011:plr027, 2011). In the latter sections of this chapter, we will present a brief overview of cell wall development in Arabidopsis pollen, where this aspect has been intensively studied.

Afif Hedhly

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology,
Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center,
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center

University of Zurich

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques

Afif Hedhly

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Plant and Microbial Biology,Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center

University of Zurich

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology,
Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center,
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center