To date, how the dynamic assembly of the actin in pollen tubes is regulated elegantly is less known to us. The functions of VILLIN5, which is highly expressed in pollen and is an actin binding protein, was studied by Shanjin Huang group of Center for Signal Transduction and Metabolomics. And they found that the actin in pollen tubes became unstable when VILLIN5 was knocked out in Arabidopsis thaliana, and the pollen tube growth was retarded. The result indicated that VILLIN5 probably regulates the tip growth of pollen tubes by stabilizing actin. Recently, the research has been published on the Plant Cell(2010, 22: 2749-2767).
Figure: Pollen Grains and Pollen Tubes with Reduced VLN5 Levels Have Unstable Actin Filaments.
To date, how the dynamic assembly of the actin in pollen tubes is regulated elegantly is less known to us. The functions of VILLIN5, which is highly expressed in pollen and is an actin binding protein, was studied by Shanjin Huang group of Center for Signal Transduction and Metabolomics. And they found that the actin in pollen tubes became unstable when VILLIN5 was knocked out in Arabidopsis thaliana, and the pollen tube growth was retarded. The result indicated that VILLIN5 probably regulates the tip growth of pollen tubes by stabilizing actin. Recently, the research has been published on the Plant Cell(2010, 22: 2749-2767).
Figure: Pollen Grains and Pollen Tubes with Reduced VLN5 Levels Have Unstable Actin Filaments.