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Calcium changes during megasporogenesis and megaspore degeneration in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

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Abstract

Potassium pyroantimonate was used to localize loosely-bound calcium in young ovules of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) during megasporogenesis to investigate the relationship between ionically available calcium and megaspore degeneration. At the megasporocyte (megaspore mother cell) stage, few calcium precipitates were located in the ovule. Following meiosis in the megasporocyte, a linear tetrad of four megaspores is formed, with three of the four megaspores degenerating from the micropylar end inward. Only the chalazal-most megaspore continues to develop, becoming the functional megaspore. A decrease in amount of calcium precipitates in the megaspore, particularly in the nucleus, precedes the breakdown of the micropylar megaspores, which subsequently undergo structural disintegration and loss of recognizable cellular features. A partial recovery of calcium precipitates occurs during later degeneration. The functional megaspore retains a consistently higher concentration of calcium precipitates during development, which is retained in the developing embryo sac. This, to our knowledge, is the first report related to calcium dynamics during megaspore degeneration, and may facilitate future research aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of megasporogenesis.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30670126).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, 361005, Xiamen, China

    Chao Tian Xie & Hui Qiao Tian

  2. School of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, 410081, Changsha, China

    Yi Lan Qiu & Ru Shi Liu

  3. Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Scott D. Russell

Authors
  1. Yi Lan Qiu
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  2. Ru Shi Liu
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  3. Chao Tian Xie
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  4. Scott D. Russell
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  5. Hui Qiao Tian
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hui Qiao Tian.

Additional information

Communicated by Mauro Cresti.

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Qiu, Y.L., Liu, R.S., Xie, C.T. et al. Calcium changes during megasporogenesis and megaspore degeneration in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Sex Plant Reprod 21, 197–204 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-008-0079-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-008-0079-7

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