Signalling between the sexes during pollen tube reception

Plant reproduction is a complex, highly-coordinated process in which a single, male germ cell grows through the maternal reproductive tissues to reach and fertilise the egg cell. Focussing on Arabidopsis thaliana, we review signalling between male and female partners which is important throughout the pollen tube journey, especially during pollen tube reception at the ovule. Numerous receptor kinases and their coreceptors are implicated in signal perception in both the pollen tube and synergid cells at the ovule entrance, and several specific peptide and carbohydrate ligands for these receptors have recently been identified. Clarifying the interplay between these signals and the downstream responses they instigate presents a challenge for future research and may help to illuminate broader principles of plant cell–cell communication.