Type B phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinases mediate Arabidopsis and Nicotiana tabacum pollen tube growth by regulating apical pectin secretion.

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P(2)] occurs in the apical plasma membrane of growing pollen tubes. Because enzymes responsible for PtdIns(4,5)P(2) production at that location are uncharacterized, functions of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) in pollen tube tip growth are unresolved. Two candidate genes encoding pollen-expressed Arabidopsis thaliana phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinases (PI4P 5-kinases) of Arabidopsis subfamily B were identified (PIP5K4 and PIP5K5), and their recombinant proteins were characterized as being PI4P 5-kinases. Pollen of T-DNA insertion lines deficient in both PIP5K4 and PIP5K5 exhibited reduced pollen germination and defects in pollen tube elongation. Fluorescence-tagged PIP5K4 and PIP5K5 localized to an apical plasma membrane microdomain in Arabidopsis and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) pollen tubes, and overexpression of either PIP5K4 or PIP5K5 triggered multiple tip branching events. Further studies using the tobacco system revealed that overexpression caused massive apical pectin deposition accompanied by plasma membrane invaginations. By contrast, callose deposition and cytoskeletal structures were unaltered in the overexpressors. Morphological effects depended on PtdIns(4,5)P(2) production, as an inactive enzyme variant did not produce any effects. The data indicate that excessive PtdIns(4,5)P(2) production by type B PI4P 5-kinases disturbs the balance of membrane trafficking and apical pectin deposition. Polar tip growth of pollen tubes may thus be modulated by PtdIns(4,5)P(2) via regulatory effects on membrane trafficking and/or apical pectin deposition.