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Query: UMLS:C0277787 (stigma)
 13,352 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chalcone synthase catalyzes the initial step of that branch of the phenylpropanoid pathway that leads to flavonoids. A lack of chalcone synthase activity has a pleiotropic effect in maize and petunia mutants: pollen fertility as well as flavonoid synthesis is disrupted. Both maize and petunia mutants are self-sterile due to a failure to produce a functional pollen tube. The finding that the mutant pollen is partially functional on wild-type stigmas led to the isolation and identification of kaempferol as a pollen germination-inducing constituent in wild-type petunia stigma extracts. We show that adding micromolar quantities of kaempferol to the germination medium or to the stigma at pollination is sufficient to restore normal pollen germination and tube growth in vitro and full seed set in vivo. Further we show that the rescue ability resides in particular structural features of a single class of compounds, the flavonol aglycones. This finding identifies another constituent of plant reproduction and suggests that addition or removal of the flavonol signal during pollen germination and tube growth provides a feasible way to control plant fertility.
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PMID:Biochemical complementation of chalcone synthase mutants defines a role for flavonols in functional pollen. 1160 12

Flavonol aglycones are required for pollen germination in petunia (Petunia hybrida L.). Mutant plants lacking chalcone synthase (CHS), which catalyzes the first committed step in flavonoid synthesis, do not accumulate flavonols and are self-sterile. The mutant pollen can be induced to germinate by supplementing it with kaempferol, a flavonol aglycone, either at the time of pollination or by addition to an in vitro germination system. Biochemical complementation occurs naturally when the mutant, flavonol-deficient pollen is crossed to wild-type, flavonoid-producing stigmas. We found that successful pollination depends on stigma maturity, indicating that flavonol aglycone accumulation may be developmentally regulated. Quantitative immunoblotting, in vitro and in vivo pollen germination, and high-performance liquid chromatographic analyses of stigma and anther extracts were used to determine the relationship between CHS levels and flavonol aglycone accumulation in developing petunia flowers. Although substantial levels of CHS were measured, we detected no flavonol aglycones in wild-type stigma or anther extracts. Instead, the occurrence of a conjugated form (flavonol glycoside) suggests that a mechanism may operate to convert glycosides to the active aglycone form.
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PMID:Chalcone Synthase and Flavonol Accumulation in Stigmas and Anthers of Petunia hybrida. 1223 78

Pollen grains of land plants have evolved remarkably strong outer walls referred to as exine that protect pollen and interact with female stigma cells. Exine is composed of sporopollenin, and while the composition and synthesis of this biopolymer are not well understood, both fatty acids and phenolics are likely components. Here, we describe mutations in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) LESS ADHESIVE POLLEN (LAP5) and LAP6 that affect exine development. Mutation of either gene results in abnormal exine patterning, whereas pollen of double mutants lacked exine deposition and subsequently collapsed, causing male sterility. LAP5 and LAP6 encode anther-specific proteins with homology to chalcone synthase, a key flavonoid biosynthesis enzyme. lap5 and lap6 mutations reduced the accumulation of flavonoid precursors and flavonoids in developing anthers, suggesting a role in the synthesis of phenolic constituents of sporopollenin. Our in vitro functional analysis of LAP5 and LAP6 using 4-coumaroyl-coenzyme A yielded bis-noryangonin (a commonly reported derailment product of chalcone synthase), while similar in vitro analyses using fatty acyl-coenzyme A as the substrate yielded medium-chain alkyl pyrones. Thus, in vitro assays indicate that LAP5 and LAP6 are multifunctional enzymes and may play a role in both the synthesis of pollen fatty acids and phenolics found in exine. Finally, the genetic interaction between LAP5 and an anther gene involved in fatty acid hydroxylation (CYP703A2) demonstrated that they act synergistically in exine production.
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PMID:LAP5 and LAP6 encode anther-specific proteins with similarity to chalcone synthase essential for pollen exine development in Arabidopsis. 2044 77