Abstract
The monoclonal antibodies MAC 207 and JIM 8, recognizing arabinogalactan epitopes, were used to localize the corresponding antigenic sites in pollen tubes of Nicotiana tabacum L. grown in vitro or semi in vivo. The analysis of the immunofluorescence labelling was performed by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy. Most pollen tubes were labelled along their length, with the exception of the tip region, in a ring-like pattern with remarkable periodicity. The diameter of the rings was approx. 12 μm and the distance between two rings was about 6 μm. No labelling of the cytoplasm, the vegetative nucleus or the generative cell was observed. The presence of labelling in the non-apical tube wall after pectinase and cellulase digestion indicates that the epitopes for MAC 207 and JIM 8 are located in the inner callosic sheath of the pollen-tube wall.
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Abbreviations
- AGP:
-
arabinogalactan proteins
- CLSM:
-
confocal laser scanning microscope
- MAb:
-
monoclonal antibody
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The authors are greatly indebted to Dr. R. Pennell and Professor K. Roberts (Department of Cell Biology, John Innes Institute, Norwich, UK) who generously provided the antibodies MAC 207 and JIM 8. The authors would like to thank Professor H.F. Linskens (University of Siena), Professor P. Olesen (Biotechnology Research MARIBO Seed, Copenhagen, Denmark), Professor K. Roberts and Professor A. Tiezzi (University of Siena) for critically reading the manuscript, and Ing. A. Rennoch (University of Siena) for technical assistance at the CLSM. Professor K. Roberts is also acknowledged for correcting the English text. This research was supported by grants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy to (Y.Q.L.), in the framework of cultural and scientific exchanges between Italy and the People's Republic of China, the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Reserarch Council (grant No. 13-4380 to L.B.), the European Communities (grant BIOT-0078-I-CH to E.S.P.), and also partially by the National Research Council of Italy, special project RAISA sub project N. 2, paper N. 515.
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Li, Yq., Bruun, L., Pierson, E.S. et al. Periodic deposition of arabinogalactan epitopes in the cell wall of pollen tubes of Nicotiana tabacum L.. Planta 188, 532–538 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197045