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γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) homeostasis regulates pollen germination and polarized growth in Picea wilsonii

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Abstract

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a four-carbon non-protein amino acid found in a wide range of organisms. Recently, GABA accumulation has been shown to play a role in the stress response and cell growth in angiosperms. However, the effect of GABA deficiency on pollen tube development remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that specific concentrations of exogenous GABA stimulated pollen tube growth in Picea wilsonii, while an overdose suppressed pollen tube elongation. The germination percentage of pollen grains and morphological variations in pollen tubes responded in a dose-dependent manner to treatment with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MP), a glutamate decarboxylase inhibitor, while the inhibitory effects could be recovered in calcium-containing medium supplemented with GABA. Using immunofluorescence labeling, we found that the actin cables were disorganized in 3-MP treated cells, followed by the transition of endo/exocytosis activating sites from the apex to the whole tube shank. In addition, variations in the deposition of cell wall components were detected upon labeling with JIM5, JIM7, and aniline blue. Our results demonstrated that calcium-dependent GABA signaling regulates pollen germination and polarized tube growth in P. wilsonii by affecting actin filament patterns, vesicle trafficking, and the configuration and distribution of cell wall components.

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Abbreviations

CLSM:

Confocal laser scanning microscopy

GABA:

γ-Aminobutyric acid

GABA (A) R:

GABA type A receptor

GABARAP:

GABA (A) receptor-associated protein

GAD:

Glutamate decarboxylase

Glu:

Glutamic acid

TCA cycle:

Tricarboxylic acid cycle

3-MP:

3-mercaptopropionic acid

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31270224, 31000092), the National Key Basic Research Program (2009CB119105) from MOST, the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (111 project, B13007), the Major Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 313008) and National Forestry Public Benefit Research Foundation (No. 20130251). We thank Jingquan Li (Institute of Botany, China Academy of Sciences) for her help on CLSM operation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yu Ling, Yanping Jing, Yinglang Wan & Jinxing Lin

  2. Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    Tong Chen, Lusheng Fan & Jinxing Lin

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  1. Yu Ling
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Correspondence to Jinxing Lin.

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Ling, Y., Chen, T., Jing, Y. et al. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) homeostasis regulates pollen germination and polarized growth in Picea wilsonii . Planta 238, 831–843 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-013-1938-5

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