Background: Allergy to Saffron (Crocus sativus) pollen has been described in people involved in processing of saffron flower stamens. Profilins have been identified as a pan-allergen in different plant pollens and foods. This molecule is an actin-binding pro-tein with a molecular weight of 12-16 kDa found in eukaryotic species. Objective: The aim of this study was to generate monoclonal antibod...

The number of individuals allergic to plant pollen has recently been on a constant increase. The knowledge of diurnal distribution and abundance of allergenic pollen types, their patterns and response to source position and weather is useful to correlate hay fever symptoms with the presence of allergenic pollen in the atmosphere. The aim of this study was to determine diurnal distribution of to...

Pollen-stigma interactions are essential for pollen germination. The highly regulated process of pollen germination includes pollen adhesion, hydration, and germination on the stigma. However, the internal signaling of pollen that regulates pollen-stigma interactions is poorly understood. KINβγ is a plant-specific subunit of the SNF1-related protein kinase 1 complex which plays important roles ...

OBJECTIVE Allergic disease caused by airborne pollen is a major health problem in China. Intensive study on pollen allergens can be of great help for preventing and treating pollinosis. Four aspects of the study on pollen allergens in China including major allergic pollen in our country, analysis and purification of pollen allergen composition, recombinant pollen allergens and clinical applicat...

The understanding of airborne pollen transportation is crucial for the reconstruction of the paleoenvironment. Under favorable conditions, a considerable amount of long-distance-transported pollen can be deposited far from its place of origin. In extreme arid regions, in most cases, such situations occur and increase the difficulty to interpret fossil pollen records. In this study, three sets o...

Pollen tube growth is dependent on a dynamic actin cytoskeleton, suggesting that actin-regulating proteins are involved. We have examined the regulation of the lily pollen-specific actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) LlADF1. Its actin binding and depolymerizing activity is pH sensitive, inhibited by certain phosphoinositides, but not controlled by phosphorylation. Compared with its F-actin bindin...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND AND AIMS High-temperature environments with >30 degrees C during flowering reduce boll retention and yield in cotton. Therefore, identification of cotton cultivars with high-temperature tolerance would be beneficial in both current and future climates. * METHODS Response to temperature (10-45 degrees C at 5 degrees C intervals) of pollen germination and pollen tube gr...

In honeybee colonies there normally is a queen that lays eggs and workers that supply food and maintain the nest. However, worker bees are able to reproduce in the absence of the queen. A variety of factors, including temperature, food, pheromones and social interactions, have an influence on ovarian development. Protein-rich diets are known to promote ovarian and egg development and, since the...