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Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1985 Jul;78(3):652–654. doi: 10.1104/pp.78.3.652

Pollen Sporoplasts: Dissolution of Pollen Walls 1

Frank A Loewus 1,2,3,4,5, Bruce G Baldi 1,2,3,4,5, Vincent R Franceschi 1,2,3,4,5, Lawrence D Meinert 1,2,3,4,5, Jerry J McCollum 1,2,3,4,5
PMCID: PMC1064794  PMID: 16664301

Abstract

4-Methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate (MMNO·H2O), a potent solvent for polysaccharides, is an effective vehicle for release of membrane-enclosed male gametophytes (sporoplasts) from spore walls. This release occurs in minutes when pollen (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) is suspended in a melt of MMNO·H2O at 75°C. Continued heating at 75°C leads to distintegration of the exine `shell' which coalesces into immiscible globules in the MMNO melt. These observations provide a general procedure for preparation of pollen sporoplasts and sporoplast outer membranes, and offer a new method for dissolving the sporopollenin component of the spore wall.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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