The regulation of vesicle trafficking by small GTPases and phospholipids during pollen tube growth.

Abstract

Polarized and directional growth of pollen tubes is the only means by which immotile sperm of flowering plants reach the deeply embedded female gametes for fertilization. Vesicle trafficking is among the most critical cellular activities for pollen tube growth. Vesicle trafficking maintains membrane homeostasis during rapid tube growth and provides polarity information by regulating protein/lipid compositions of different membrane compartments. In this review, we will focus on two classes of factors that orchestrate vesicle trafficking, small GTPases and phospholipids. We discuss the features of small GTPases and phospholipids that make them ideal components to regulate vesicle trafficking, review recent advances in understanding their involvement in vesicle trafficking, and propose directions for future research.