Persistent Symmetry Frustration in Pollen Tubes

Abstract

Pollen tubes are extremely rapidly growing plant cells whose morphogenesis is determined by spatial gradients in the biochemical composition of the cell wall. We investigate the hypothesis (MP) that the distribution of the local mechanical properties of the wall, corresponding to the change of the radial symmetry along the axial direction, may lead to growth oscillations in pollen tubes. We claim that the experimentally observed oscillations originate from the symmetry change at the transition zone, where both intervening symmetries (cylindrical and spherical) meet. The characteristic oscillations between resonating symmetries at a given (constant) turgor pressure and a gradient of wall material constants may be identified with the observed growth-cycles in pollen tubes.