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Pollen Sporoplasts: Dissolution of Pollen Walls ¹

Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, Graduate Program in Plant Physiology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, Department of Botany, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, Department of Geology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, Veterinary Biomedical Communications Unit, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164

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.