Immunolabelling of alpha and beta tubulin in pollen of Oenothera (h)hookeri. velans

The aim of this work was to investigate the distribution of alpha and beta tubulin in fertile pollen of the genetic male sterile hybrid Oenothera "hoo keri. velans using silver-gold immunolabeling with monoclonal antibodies. F or this purpose we marked mature pollen grains with Protein A and silver-go ld labeled mouse monoclonal alpha and beta tubulin antibodies at light micr oscopy level. Alfa and beta tubulin mark was obtained in the cytoplasm of t he vegetative cell. A diffuse mark of alpha tubulin was seen on the endexin e layer of the sporoderm. Rods of beta-tubulin labeled cytoplasm penetrated the endexine. These prolonged cytoplasm rods were similar to half plasmode smata and contained a cylinder of microtubular protofilaments. The cytoplas m rods were absent at the level of the apertural chambers.