Male gametophyte, highly organized haploid flower organ, offers unique chance to analyze development and differentiation of single haploid cell, cell-cell interaction and recognition, cellular polarity and pollen tube tip growth. Posttranscriptional control of gene expression plays a vital role during tobacco pollen maturation and tube growth. Number of pollen mRNAs were shown to be bound to pollen-specific stored ribonucleoprotein particles annotated as EPP complexes. Just like the role played in growing mammalian neurons, EPP particles represent pre-loaded complex machinery devoted to mRNA processing, transport, subcellular localization and protein synthesis. Here we aim to perform detailed functional, transcriptomic and proteomic characterisation of pollen storage RNP particles. In particular, we aim to integrate our knowledge on translationally regulated transcripts in developing pollen and to identify and find the mode of action of proteins and/or small RNAs involved in translational repression of mRNAs stored in developing pollen and gradually activated during progamic phase.

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