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The impact of environmental stress on male reproductive development in plants: biological processes and molecular mechanisms
Author(s) -
DE STORME NICO,
GEELEN DANNY
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12142
Subject(s) - biology , sporogenesis , microspore , oxidative stress , microbiology and biotechnology , meiosis , sterility , sexual reproduction , gametogenesis , physiology , genetics , ecology , stamen , botany , spore , embryogenesis , embryo , endocrinology , pollen , gene
In plants, male reproductive development is extremely sensitive to adverse climatic environments and (a)biotic stress. Upon exposure to stress, male gametophytic organs often show morphological, structural and metabolic alterations that typically lead to meiotic defects or premature spore abortion and male reproductive sterility. Depending on the type of stress involved (e.g. heat, cold, drought) and the duration of stress exposure, the underlying cellular defect is highly variable and either involves cytoskeletal alterations, tapetal irregularities, altered sugar utilization, aberrations in auxin metabolism, accumulation of reactive oxygen species ( ROS ; oxidative stress) or the ectopic induction of programmed cell death ( PCD ). In this review, we present the critically stress‐sensitive stages of male sporogenesis (meiosis) and male gametogenesis (microspore development), and discuss the corresponding biological processes involved and the resulting alterations in male reproduction. In addition, this review also provides insights into the molecular and/or hormonal regulation of the environmental stress sensitivity of male reproduction and outlines putative interaction(s) between the different processes involved.