Protein targeting by ubiquitin during anther and pollen development in male and female flowers of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa)

Abstract

For the success of male reproductive processes, anther and pollen development are finely timed and choreographed (Koltunow et al. 1990; Scott et al. 1991). Gene expression is temporally and spatially regulated during anther development, producing highly differentiated cells and tissues responsible for non-reproductive and reproductive functions. Anther-specific mRNAs have been shown to encode a number of proteins (Goldberg et al. 1993; McCormick 1991). Multiple molecular events under tight gene control are also involved in the progression of microspores through the pollen developmental pathway (Bedinger and Edgerton 1990). Variations in the protein patterns of male gametophytes related to different stages of development have been widely demonstrated (Bedinger and Edgerton 1990; Delvallee and Dumas 1988; Hruba and Tupy 1998; Stinson et al. 1987; Tupy et al. 1983; Vergne and Dumas 1988). Therefore, the importance of protein degradation and turnover closely associated to the pathway of anther and pollen development can be hypothesized.