The oscillatory dynamics as a mechanism for intercellular communication in plant fertilization

• Grant number: 25/03753-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Principal Investigator: Maria Teresa Portes
• Grantee: Luigi Pietrafesa dos Santos Eugenio
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/26129-6 - The pollen tube quest to find the ovule: spatio-temporal ion regulation as a mechanism for apical growth and guidance in single cells, AP.JP

Abstract

Besides the role in coordination and synchronization,  the functional relevance of cellular and growth oscillations for sexual plant reproduction remains elusive. This project aims to investigate an original aspect of the oscillatory behavior present in pollen tubes, in the context of intercellular communication and reproductive isolation using experimental assays as male/female and male/male gametophytes.Orchids are an appropriate model for studying competition/cooperation among male gametophytes due to its aggregate dispersion of pollen grains in pollinia, where it occurs the collective growth of pollen tubes towards the ovules. The projectaims to elucidate the potential biological functions of pollen tube oscillations and the evolutionary impact of such celular dynamics.