Two Membrane-Anchored Aspartic Proteases Contribute to Pollen and Ovule Development

Two Membrane-Anchored Aspartic Proteases Contribute to Pollen and Ovule Development.

Aspartic proteases are a class of proteolytic enzymes with conserved aspartate residues, which are implicated in protein processing, maturation, and degradation. Compared with yeast and animals, plants possess a larger aspartic protease family. However, little is known about most of these enzymes. Here, we characterized two Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) putative glycosylphosphatidylinosito...

Antimicrobial activity of potato aspartic proteases (StAPs) involves membrane permeabilization.

Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteases (StAPs) with antimicrobial activity are induced after abiotic and biotic stress. In this study the ability of StAPs to produce a direct antimicrobial effect was investigated. Viability assays demonstrated that StAPs are able to kill spores of Fusarium solani and Phytophthora infestans in a dose-dependent manner. Localization experiments with FITC-labelled St...

Lysosomal Cysteine and Aspartic Proteases

Pollen histochemistry and pollen : ovule ratios in Zingiberaceae.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Pollen grains of 37 species from 11 genera in the family Zingiberaceae were examined to assess qualitatively starch or lipid contents; the pollen grain and ovule numbers per flower and pollen : ovule ratios were also counted and calculated. Pollen : ovule ratios were studied to reveal patterns of variation in the Zingiberaceae. METHODS Freshly open flowers with dehiscing a...

Pollen Tubes Fail to Target Ovule in the Absence of Two Cation/proton Exchangers in Arabidopsis

Title of Document: POLLEN TUBES FAIL TO TARGET OVULE IN THE ABSENCE OF TWO CATION/PROTON EXCHANGERS IN ARABIDOPSIS Yongxian Lu Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Directed By: Professor Heven Sze Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics Flowering plant reproduction requires precise delivery of the sperm cells to the ovule by a pollen tube. Guiding signals from female cells are being identified, t...