The Role of Calcium/Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases Signal Pathway in Pollen Tube Growth
Hao Yang, You Chen, Shaoyu Yang, Yuping Zhang, Fan Yang, Xue Li, Ning Chen, Yanmin Luo, Xiuli Hu
Abstract
Pollen tube (PT) growth as a key step for successful fertilization is essential for angiosperm survival and especially vital for grain yield in cereals. The process of PT growth is regulated by many complex and delicate signaling pathways. Among them, the calcium/calcium-dependent protein kinases (Ca 2+ /CPKs) signal pathway has become one research focus, as Ca 2+ ion is a well-known essential signal molecule for PT growth, which can be instantly sensed and transduced by CPKs to control myriad biological processes. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in understanding the Ca 2+ /CPKs signal pathway governing PT growth. We also discuss how this pathway regulates PT growth and how reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cyclic nucleotide are integrated by Ca 2+ signaling networks.