ABSTRACT
In flowering plants, pollen grains develop in the anther. Development of the anther involves a major histodifferentiation resulting in several highly specialized cells and tissues. The mature anther is usually a bithecous and tetrasporangiate structure. Different cell and tissue layers demarcated in the mature anther can be traced to the primary germ layers present in the floral meristems. The primary sporogenous layer undergoes a few mitotic divisions and gives rise to the microspore mother cells. Meiosis is one of the most critical events during microsporogenesis and thus in the development of pollen. Before the onset of meiosis, the mitotic divisions in the archesporial cells are non-synchronous. Irreversible commitment to meiotic division occurs late in the premeiotic S-phase. Meiosis continues in anthers cultured after the initiation of meiosis. Protein synthesis decreases as the meiocytes approach leptotene and remains low during subsequent stages of meiosis.
