A Putative Protein O-Fucosyltransferase Facilitates Pollen Tube Penetration through the Stigma–Style Interface  . Issue 4 (21st February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Smith, Devin K.; Jones, Danielle M.; Lau, Jonathan B. R.; Cruz, Edward R.; Brown, Elizabeth; Harper, Jeffrey F.; Wallace, Ian S.
• Is Part Of: Plant physiology. Volume 176:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 2804
• Page End: 2818
• Publication Date: 2018-02-21
• Subjects: Plant physiology -- Periodicals; Botany -- Periodicals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 571.2
• DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.01577
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-0889

Abstract

Abstract : A putative protein O-fucosyltransferase in Arabidopsis facilitates pollen tube penetration through stigmatic tissue, suggesting that protein O-fucosylation events may play a role in plant reproduction. Abstract: During pollen-pistil interactions in angiosperms, the male gametophyte (pollen) germinates to produce a pollen tube. To fertilize ovules located within the female pistil, the pollen tube must physically penetrate specialized tissues. Whereas the process of pollen tube penetration through the pistil has been anatomically well described, the genetic regulation remains poorly understood. In this study, we identify a novel Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) gene, O-FUCOSYLTRANSFERASE1 ( AtOFT1 ), which plays a key role in pollen tube penetration through the stigma-style interface. Semi-in vivo growth assays demonstrate that oft1 mutant pollen tubes have a reduced ability to penetrate the stigma-style interface, leading to a nearly 2, 000-fold decrease in oft1 pollen transmission efficiency and a 5- to 10-fold decreased seed set. We also demonstrate that AtOFT1 is localized to the Golgi apparatus, indicating its potential role in cellular glycosylation events. Finally, we demonstrate that AtOFT1 and other similar Arabidopsis genes represent a novel clade of sequences related to metazoan protein O -fucosyltransferases and that mutation of residues that are important for O -fucosyltransferase activity compromises AtOFT1 function in vivo. The results of this study elucidate a physiological function for AtOFT1 in pollen tube penetration through the stigma-style interface and highlight the potential importance of protein O -glycosylation events in pollen-pistil interactions.