Disruption of actin filaments by latrunculin B affects cell wall construction in Picea meyeri pollen tube by disturbing vesicle trafficking

Abstract

The involvement of actin filaments (AFs) in vesicle trafficking, cell wall construction and tip growth was investigated during pollen tube development of Picea meyeri. Pollen germination and tube elongation were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the latrunculin B (LatB) treatment. The fine AFs were broken down into disorganized fragments showing a tendency to aggregate. FM4-64 labeling revealed that the dynamic balance of vesicle trafficking was perturbed due to F-actin disruption and the fountain-like cytoplasmic pattern changed into disorganized Brownian movement. The configuration and/or distribution of cell wall components, such as pectins, callose and cellulose, as well as arabinogalactan proteins changed in obvious ways after the LatB application. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis further established significant changes in the chemical composition of the wall material. Our results indicate that depolymerization of AFs affects the distribution and configuration of cell wall components in Picea meyeri pollen tube by disturbing vesicle trafficking.