Periodic increases in elongation rate precede increases in cytosolic Ca2+ during pollen tube growth.

Pollen tubes grown in vitro require an intracellular tip-high gradient of Ca2+ in order to elongate. Moreover, after about 2 h in vitro both the tip Ca2+ and the elongation rate of lily tubes begin to oscillate regularly with large amplitudes. This raises the question of the phase relation between these two oscillations. Previous studies lacked the temporal resolution to accurately establish this relationship. We have studied these oscillations with a newly developed, high temporal resolution system and the complementary use of both luminescent and fluorescent calcium reporters. We hereby show that the periodic increases in elongation rate during oscillatory growth of Lilium longiflorum pollen tubes clearly precede those in subtip calcium and do so by 4.1 +/- 0.2 s out of average periods of 38.7 +/- 1.8 s. Also, by collecting images of the light output of aequorin, we find that the magnitude of the [Ca2+] at the tip oscillates between 3 and 10 microM, which is considerably greater than that reported by fluorescent indicators. We propose an explanatory model that features cyclic growth and secretion in which growth oscillations give rise to secretion that is essential for the subsequent growth oscillation. We also critically compile data on L. longiflorum stylar growth rates, which show little variation from in vitro rates of pollen tubes grown in optimal medium.

Envisioning a network of care for at-risk patients after myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) continues to be a significant health care issue because of its prevalence. As treatment options improve the survival rate, an increasing number of individuals have to learn how to adjust to this major life event and prevent recurrence. Recovery can be difficult. Many patients experience emotional distress, fear of dying, and family turmoil, fail to return to work when physiologically capable of doing so, are unable to return to their previous levels of sexual activity, and are not capable of making the necessary diet and exercise changes. Acute management strategies continue to be aimed at limiting the infarct size, whereas holistic approaches to the patient and family adjustment must target seeking prompt treatment when symptoms present, psychologic adjustment, stress reduction, and patient and family education for self-care and risk reduction. As hospital length of stay for acute MI decreases, health care professionals must provide an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to ensure that the at-risk MI patient is provided all of the information and support needed to lead a satisfying, productive, healthy life. An excellent way for nurses to not only address this challenge, but to lead the effort, would be to develop a network of care for the at-risk MI patient.

Pulsatile influxes of H+, K+ and Ca2+ lag growth pulses of Lilium longiflorum pollen tubes.

Fluxes of H+, K+ and Ca2+ were measured with self-referencing ion-selective probes, near the plasma membrane of growing Lilium longiflorum pollen tubes. Measurements from three regions around short, steady-growing tubes showed small, steady influx of H+ over the distal 40 microm and a region of the tube within 50-100 microm of the grain with larger magnitude efflux from the grain. K+ fluxes were immeasurable in short tubes. Measurements of longer tubes that were growing in a pulsatile manner revealed a pulsatile influx of both H+ and K+ at the growing tip. The average fluxes at the cell surface during the peaks of the H+ and K+ pulses were 489+/-81 and 688+/-144 pmol cm-2 second-1, respectively. Growth was measured by tracking the pollen tips with a computer vision system that achieved a spatial resolution of approximately 1/10 pixel. The high spatial resolution enabled the detection of growth, and thus the changes in growth rates, with a temporal sampling rate of 1 frame/second. These data show that the H+ and K+ pulses have a phase lag of 103+/-9 and 100+/-11 degrees, respectively, with respect to the growth pulses. Calcium fluxes were also measured in growing tubes. During steady growth, the calcium influx was relatively steady. When pulsatile growth began, the basal Ca2+ influx decreased and a pulsatile component appeared, superimposed on the reduced basal Ca2+ flux. The peaks of the Ca2+ pulses at the cell surface averaged 38.4+/-2.5 pmol cm-2 second-1. Longer tubes had large pulsatile Ca2+ fluxes with smaller baseline fluxes. The Ca2+ influx pulses had a phase lag of 123+/-9 degrees with respect to the growth pulses.

Tip localized Ca2+ pulses are coincident with peak pulsatile growth rates in pollen tubes of Lilium longiflorum.

It is known that locally elevated Ca2+ at the growing tips of pollen tubes is necessary for pollen tube elongation. Here we show that this localized Ca2+ is also temporally regulated and is closely associated with pulsatile tip growth. Lilium longiflorum pollen tubes were injected with the photoprotein, aequorin, and the Ca2(+)-dependent light output was detected with a low noise photon-counting system. Ca2+ pulses with a mean period of 40 seconds were invariably associated with growth. The pulses were sporadic and of low amplitude for about the first 1.5 hours after germination. With subsequent growth, pulses increased in amplitude and the period between pulses became more regular. We have localized these Ca2+ pulses to the elongating end of the growing tube. The Ca2+ pulses are asymmetrical, rising more slowly than they fall. We estimate that the Ca2+ concentration at the peak of the pulses reaches nearly 10 microM. The addition of 100 microM La3+, a Ca2+ channel blocker, extinguished the pulses. An analysis of growth of elongating tubes establishes that extension is pulsatile, with a 42 second period between pulses. Calcium imaging, using the fluorescent indicator, Calcium Green dextran, shows that calcium pulses are coincident with peak growth rates.

A cytoplasmic gradient of Ca2+ is correlated with the growth of lily pollen tubes.

We have measured the distribution of cytoplasmic calcium in lily pollen tubes by microinjecting them with indo-1 and performing fluorescence ratio image analysis on them. All of the 16 tubes that were growing at the time of the calcium measurements showed a gradient of [Ca2+]i in the tip region, with Ca2+ being 1.25 to 3.32 times higher at the distal end in 15 cases and more than 5 times higher in one case. The extent of the gradient ranged from 22 to 65 microns. Most of the 15 nongrowing tubes either had no gradient or had lower Ca2+ in the tip region. While we have confirmed a previous report that lily pollen tubes can be loaded with the membrane-permeable acetoxymethyl ester forms of calcium indicators, the dyes loaded in this way are visibly partitioned into organelles and this method of loading is, therefore, not useful for the measurement of [Ca2+]i. Iontophoresis of the dye free acids into tubes produces a more uniform and diffuse fluorescence which does not appear to partition into organelles. Indo-1 remains in the pollen tubes longer than fura-2. The correlation between growth and the [Ca2+]i gradient in the apical portion of the pollen tube is discussed in relation to previous reports that have suggested that such a gradient should exist during polarized growth.

The responses of pollen to applied electrical fields.

The growing pollen tubes of tomato and tobacco were exposed to electrical fields and the effect on the direction of growth was measured. They responded by turning toward the positive electrode (anode) and gave a detectable response in fields as small as 0.1 mV/tube diameter. The sites of germination of tobacco pollen grains were also affected by applied fields; the pollen tubes tended to emerge from the anodal side. This effect was detectable at a field of 0.4 mV/grain diameter.