Editorial: Regulation of Pollen Tube Growth

In angiosperms, the pollen tube is a simple system composed of the vegetative cell and the two sperm cells which, nevertheless, accomplishes a very important process, essential for the life of flowering plants on Earth, i.e., sexual reproduction. In its simplicity, the pollen tube allowed plants to reproduce on land, even in the absence of water. Therefore, it is a very critical evolutionary factor. In the last 30 years, the pollen tube has been the object of study for many researchers around the world because of a number of reasons; apart from its biological importance, the pollen tube is a highly valuable cell model by which to analyze many aspects of plant cell biology (except for photosynthesis). The time course of cell wall deposition, the role of calcium ions in driving the apical growth of pollen tube, the action of signal transduction intermediates, the cell-cell communication, the mechanism of cell shape control by exocytosis/endocytosis are just some of the aspects on which it is possible to find articles in the scientific literature dealing with the pollen tube. Not to forget that the study of pollen tubes also has practical implications because the control of the reproductive process of plants also involves the study of genes, proteins and metabolites that promote or prevent the growth of pollen tubes. Therefore, controlling pollen tube growth can impact seed and fruit yields. Due to all these considerations, the Research Topic “Regulation of pollen tube growth” was meant to highlight some of the above aspects with updated considerations and special focus. These include contributions related to human health, pollen-pistil interaction, the growth of pollen tubes by exocytosis/endocytosis, and the rejection of the pollen tube in self-incompatibility processes.