MAP kinase signaling during pollen development

The stereotypical events of pollen grain maturation and its coordinated dev elopment with other flower tissues requires the interplay of different sign alling pathways in order to ensure efficient fertilisation and, eventually, seed set. In recent years evidence has accumulated that members of the mit ogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) family are expressed in pollen a nd may function as regulators of both pollen development and germination. I n this review we describe what is known about MAP kinases in pollen and dis cuss their possible function(s) in pollen biology.