Agradecimentos: We are grateful to COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES (CAPES, Brazil), FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP (FAPESP, São Paulo, Brazil) and CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ (CNPq, Brazil)...

Agradecimentos: We are grateful to COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES (CAPES, Brazil), FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP (FAPESP, São Paulo, Brazil) and CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ (CNPq, Brazil) for funding. We also thank Prof. E.W. Kitajima and Prof. F.A.O. Tanaka for the access to the microscopy facility (NAP/MEPA, ESALQ/USP, Brazil)

Some species of the genus Passiflora (sect. Xerogona) have flowers that exhibit a mechanically-induced movement of the androgynophore that is probably involved in pollination. Despite the many reports of touch-induced movements of floral parts, the studies concerning anatomical, ultrastructural and...

Some species of the genus Passiflora (sect. Xerogona) have flowers that exhibit a mechanically-induced movement of the androgynophore that is probably involved in pollination. Despite the many reports of touch-induced movements of floral parts, the studies concerning anatomical, ultrastructural and molecular aspects of the plant movements are restricted to the vegetative parts. Rapid plant movements are highly dependent on turgor changes of a particular flexible tissue formed by specialized cells capable of losing and gaining water rapidly. Thigmotropic androgynophores of four species of Passiflora from section Xerogona were analyzed at cellular and subcellular levels. Our results show that the movement is due to a vacuolar remodelling in a group of parenchymatous cells at the base of the androgynophore. After the movement, plasmolyzed and multivacuolated cells are present at the stimulated side and turgid and univacuolated cells at the opposite side. The results suggest that the mechanisms leading to the androgynophore movement in Passiflora are, in general, analogous to those reported for the movements of legume pulvinus, motile stamen filaments and guard cells of stomata, pointing to conserved cellular mechanisms of plant movement

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP

CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ

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