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Cr RLK 1L receptor‐like kinases HERK 1 and ANJEA are female determinants of pollen tube reception
Author(s) -
GalindoTrigo Sergio,
BlancoTouriñán Noel,
DeFalco Thomas A,
Wells Eloise S,
Gray Julie E,
Zipfel Cyril,
Smith Lisa M
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.15252/embr.201948466
Subject(s) - ovule , pollen tube , gametophyte , biology , mutant , pollen , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , pollination , gene
Communication between the gametophytes is vital for angiosperm fertilisation. Multiple Cr RLK 1L‐type receptor kinases prevent premature pollen tube burst, while another Cr RLK 1L protein, FERONIA ( FER ), is required for pollen tube reception in the female gametophyte. We report here the identification of two additional Cr RLK 1L homologues, HERCULES RECEPTOR KINASE 1 ( HERK 1) and ANJEA ( ANJ ), which act redundantly to promote pollen tube growth arrest at the synergid cells. HERK 1 and ANJ localise to the filiform apparatus of the synergid cells in unfertilised ovules, and in herk1 anj mutants, a majority of ovules remain unfertilised due to pollen tube overgrowth, together indicating that HERK 1 and ANJ act as female determinants for fertilisation. As in fer mutants, the synergid cell‐specific, endomembrane protein NORTIA ( NTA ) is not relocalised after pollen tube reception; however, unlike fer mutants, reactive oxygen species levels are unaffected in herk1 anj double mutants. Both ANJ and HERK 1 associate with FER and its proposed co‐receptor LORELEI ( LRE ) in planta . Together, our data indicate that HERK 1 and ANJ act with FER to mediate female–male gametophyte interactions during plant fertilisation.