Biomaterial Database

Pollen-Specific Aquaporins NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 Are Required for Pollen Development and Pollination in Arabidopsis thaliana. 2016

Juliana Andrea Pérez Di Giorgio, and Gerd Patrick Bienert, and Nicolás Daniel Ayub, and Agustín Yaneff, and María Laura Barberini, and Martín Alejandro Mecchia, and Gabriela Amodeo, and Gabriela Cynthia Soto, and Jorge Prometeo Muschietti

Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Dr. Héctor Torres (INGEBI-CONICET), C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In flowers with dry stigmas, pollen development, pollination, and pollen tube growth require spatial and temporal regulation of water and nutrient transport. To better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in reproductive processes, we characterized NIP4;1 and NIP4;2, two pollen-specific aquaporins of Arabidopsis thaliana. NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 are paralogs found exclusively in the angiosperm lineage. Although they have 84% amino acid identity, they displayed different expression patterns. NIP4;1 has low expression levels in mature pollen, while NIP4;2 expression peaks during pollen tube growth. Additionally, NIP4;1pro:GUS flowers showed GUS activity in mature pollen and pollen tubes, whereas NIP4;2pro:GUS flowers only in pollen tubes. Single T-DNA mutants and double artificial microRNA knockdowns had fewer seeds per silique and reduced pollen germination and pollen tube length. Transport assays in oocytes showed NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 function as water and nonionic channels. We also found that NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 C termini are phosphorylated by a pollen-specific CPK that modifies their water permeability. Survival assays in yeast indicated that NIP4;1 also transports ammonia, urea, boric acid, and H2O2 Thus, we propose that aquaporins NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 are exclusive components of the reproductive apparatus of angiosperms with partially redundant roles in pollen development and pollination.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011058	Pollen	The fertilizing element of plants that contains the male GAMETOPHYTES.	Male Gametes, Plant,Male Gametophytes,Microspores, Plant,Plant Microspores,Pollen Grains,Gamete, Plant Male,Gametes, Plant Male,Gametophyte, Male,Gametophytes, Male,Grain, Pollen,Grains, Pollen,Male Gamete, Plant,Male Gametophyte,Microspore, Plant,Plant Male Gamete,Plant Male Gametes,Plant Microspore,Pollen Grain
D001888	Boric Acids	Inorganic and organic derivatives of boric acid either B(OH)3 or, preferably H3BO3.	Acids, Boric
D006861	Hydrogen Peroxide	A strong oxidizing agent used in aqueous solution as a ripening agent, bleach, and topical anti-infective. It is relatively unstable and solutions deteriorate over time unless stabilized by the addition of acetanilide or similar organic materials.	Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2),Hydroperoxide,Oxydol,Perhydrol,Superoxol,Peroxide, Hydrogen
D000641	Ammonia	A colorless alkaline gas. It is formed in the body during decomposition of organic materials during a large number of metabolically important reactions. Note that the aqueous form of ammonia is referred to as AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE.
D001692	Biological Transport	The movement of materials (including biochemical substances and drugs) through a biological system at the cellular level. The transport can be across cell membranes and epithelial layers. It also can occur within intracellular compartments and extracellular compartments.	Transport, Biological,Biologic Transport,Transport, Biologic
D014508	Urea	A compound formed in the liver from ammonia produced by the deamination of amino acids. It is the principal end product of protein catabolism and constitutes about one half of the total urinary solids.	Basodexan,Carbamide,Carmol
D017360	Arabidopsis	A plant genus of the family BRASSICACEAE that contains ARABIDOPSIS PROTEINS and MADS DOMAIN PROTEINS. The species A. thaliana is used for experiments in classical plant genetics as well as molecular genetic studies in plant physiology, biochemistry, and development.	Arabidopsis thaliana,Cress, Mouse-ear,A. thaliana,A. thalianas,Arabidopses,Arabidopsis thalianas,Cress, Mouse ear,Cresses, Mouse-ear,Mouse-ear Cress,Mouse-ear Cresses,thaliana, A.,thaliana, Arabidopsis,thalianas, A.
D054817	Pollination	The transfer of POLLEN grains (male gametes) to the plant ovule (female gamete).
D018506	Gene Expression Regulation, Plant	Any of the processes by which nuclear, cytoplasmic, or intercellular factors influence the differential control of gene action in plants.	Plant Gene Expression Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression, Plant,Regulation, Gene Expression, Plant
D029681	Arabidopsis Proteins	Proteins that originate from plants species belonging to the genus ARABIDOPSIS. The most intensely studied species of Arabidopsis, Arabidopsis thaliana, is commonly used in laboratory experiments.	Arabidopsis thaliana Proteins,Thale Cress Proteins,Proteins, Arabidopsis thaliana,thaliana Proteins, Arabidopsis