Pollen sporoplasts: dissolution of pollen walls.

4-Methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate (MMNO.H(2)O), a potent solvent for polysaccharides, is an effective vehicle for release of membrane-enclosed male gametophytes (sporoplasts) from spore walls. This release occurs in minutes when pollen (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) is suspended in a melt of MMNO.H(2)O at 75 degrees C. Continued heating at 75 degrees C leads to distintegration of the exine ;shell' which coalesces into immiscible globules in the MMNO melt. These observations provide a general procedure for preparation of pollen sporoplasts and sporoplast outer membranes, and offer a new method for dissolving the sporopollenin component of the spore wall.