The mighty ether bond!
My first thought reading this piece was ‘how is sporopollenin so strong and enduring?’
Of course it is because it is a random copolymer involving various either linkages.
This is a structural pattern common to lignin and humic substances also.
My first thought reading this piece was ‘how is sporopollenin so strong and enduring?’
Of course it is because it is a random copolymer involving various either linkages.
This is a structural pattern common to lignin and humic substances also.
Thinking of a summer beach holiday, and maybe swimming..? Give a thought to coral-damaging sunscreens…
Intrigued?
More at plantcuttings.uk/2026/01/30/p...
Cheers!
#Botany
#PlantScience
Intrigued?
More at plantcuttings.uk/2026/01/30/p...
Cheers!
#Botany
#PlantScience
Can pollen save coral reefs?
Traditional sunscreens harm marine life, particularly corals. A new eco-friendly sunscreen using sporopollenin from tea pollen – developed by Chungmo Yang et al. – demonstrates effectiv…
plantcuttings.uk
January 31, 2026 at 8:57 PM
The mighty ether bond!
My first thought reading this piece was ‘how is sporopollenin so strong and enduring?’
Of course it is because it is a random copolymer involving various either linkages.
This is a structural pattern common to lignin and humic substances also.
My first thought reading this piece was ‘how is sporopollenin so strong and enduring?’
Of course it is because it is a random copolymer involving various either linkages.
This is a structural pattern common to lignin and humic substances also.
Evolution of phenolic conjugate incorporation in plant sporopollenin academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... @plantphys.bsky.social
Evolution of phenolic conjugate incorporation in plant sporopollenin
The chemical characteristics and biosynthetic scaffold of sporopollenin across divergent plant lineages reveal a phylogenetically ordered incorporation of
academic.oup.com
January 1, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Evolution of phenolic conjugate incorporation in plant sporopollenin academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... @plantphys.bsky.social
#SeedBio
ISAI links sporopollenin autofluorescence to pollen UV resistance—novel plant UV adaptation tool!
Details: https://maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/seedbio-0025-0016
#ISAI #Sporopollenin
ISAI links sporopollenin autofluorescence to pollen UV resistance—novel plant UV adaptation tool!
Details: https://maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/seedbio-0025-0016
#ISAI #Sporopollenin
December 24, 2025 at 8:25 AM
#SeedBio
ISAI links sporopollenin autofluorescence to pollen UV resistance—novel plant UV adaptation tool!
Details: https://maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/seedbio-0025-0016
#ISAI #Sporopollenin
ISAI links sporopollenin autofluorescence to pollen UV resistance—novel plant UV adaptation tool!
Details: https://maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/seedbio-0025-0016
#ISAI #Sporopollenin
TIL sporopollenin | I love the fact that the Wikipedia page is like "we kinda don't really exactly know what this stuff is made of"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporopo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporopo...
Sporopollenin - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 14, 2025 at 12:28 AM
TIL sporopollenin | I love the fact that the Wikipedia page is like "we kinda don't really exactly know what this stuff is made of"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporopo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporopo...
Pollen grains have a sort of “exoskeleton” made of sporopollenin, which is one of the most resilient biopolymers known in nature. We use a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid and acetic anhydride to dissolve organics in the mud and the pollen survives!
December 14, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Pollen grains have a sort of “exoskeleton” made of sporopollenin, which is one of the most resilient biopolymers known in nature. We use a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid and acetic anhydride to dissolve organics in the mud and the pollen survives!
New Method Reveals Pollen's UV Resistance Linked to Sporopollenin Chemistry
->Newswise | #chemistry #science | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->Newswise | #chemistry #science | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
New Method Reveals Pollen's UV Resistance Linked to Sporopollenin Chemistry
Newswise — By analyzing the autofluorescence intensity of sporopollenin in the pollen wall, researchers have identified a significant link between UV absorption and environmental radiation levels. Land plants, especially spores and pollen, face numerous environmental stressors, including harmful UV-B radiation...
www.newswise.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:00 PM
They’re making sunscreen out of pollen now—and it works
Pollen can survive millions of years in certain conditions. That’s because each tiny grain is protected by a hard shell of sporopollenin, a UV-absorbing substance that can handle high temperatures as well as a wild pH range.
Scientists […]
Pollen can survive millions of years in certain conditions. That’s because each tiny grain is protected by a hard shell of sporopollenin, a UV-absorbing substance that can handle high temperatures as well as a wild pH range.
Scientists […]
Original post on mastodon.nz
mastodon.nz
November 28, 2025 at 7:08 AM
They’re making sunscreen out of pollen now—and it works
Pollen can survive millions of years in certain conditions. That’s because each tiny grain is protected by a hard shell of sporopollenin, a UV-absorbing substance that can handle high temperatures as well as a wild pH range.
Scientists […]
Pollen can survive millions of years in certain conditions. That’s because each tiny grain is protected by a hard shell of sporopollenin, a UV-absorbing substance that can handle high temperatures as well as a wild pH range.
Scientists […]
💎Sporopollenin gilt als Diamant des Pflanzenreiches!
Es ist der Baustein der äußeren Pollenkornwand und der Grund, warum #Pollen viel aushält (Hitze, Kälte, Säure, UV-Strahlung).
Mehr hier:
www.instagram.com/reel/DRbZtdg...
Quelle:
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...
Es ist der Baustein der äußeren Pollenkornwand und der Grund, warum #Pollen viel aushält (Hitze, Kälte, Säure, UV-Strahlung).
Mehr hier:
www.instagram.com/reel/DRbZtdg...
Quelle:
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...
Frontiers | The Toughest Material in the Plant Kingdom: An Update on Sporopollenin
The extreme chemical and physical recalcitrance of sporopollenin deems this biopolymer among the most resilient organic materials on Earth. As the primary ma...
www.frontiersin.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:25 AM
💎Sporopollenin gilt als Diamant des Pflanzenreiches!
Es ist der Baustein der äußeren Pollenkornwand und der Grund, warum #Pollen viel aushält (Hitze, Kälte, Säure, UV-Strahlung).
Mehr hier:
www.instagram.com/reel/DRbZtdg...
Quelle:
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...
Es ist der Baustein der äußeren Pollenkornwand und der Grund, warum #Pollen viel aushält (Hitze, Kälte, Säure, UV-Strahlung).
Mehr hier:
www.instagram.com/reel/DRbZtdg...
Quelle:
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...
I'm thinking if space aliens exist they will have sporopollenin exoskeletons.
I’m sure Professor David Cove would have been excited by this news. @reskilab.bsky.social, have you seen this?
🌾🌱⚘️🌿🌼🦠🚀 #BUC2026 Impressive survival of moss spores, Physcomitrella patens (spreading earthmoss) on outside of International Space Station for 9 months! Vacuum, radiation, dry, too much light, cold. Over 80% germinated when back on Earth. www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
November 20, 2025 at 9:27 PM
I'm thinking if space aliens exist they will have sporopollenin exoskeletons.
Missing a reagent today when my undergrads came in, so instead of the plan, I taught them how to do leaf peels to measure guard cells and also showed them how to use the EVOS fluorescence microscope.
And anyway, that's how my students learned that the annulus on fern spores is autofluorescent. 😁
And anyway, that's how my students learned that the annulus on fern spores is autofluorescent. 😁
October 7, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Missing a reagent today when my undergrads came in, so instead of the plan, I taught them how to do leaf peels to measure guard cells and also showed them how to use the EVOS fluorescence microscope.
And anyway, that's how my students learned that the annulus on fern spores is autofluorescent. 😁
And anyway, that's how my students learned that the annulus on fern spores is autofluorescent. 😁
🌊 Singapore's NTU scientists just revolutionized sunscreen! They created a coral-safe formula from camellia pollen's sporopollenin. No harmful minerals – goodbye coral bleaching!
☀️ This SPF30 sunscreen cools skin by 5°C in 20 mins & protects marine life. Finally, a sun-smart choice I can feel good
☀️ This SPF30 sunscreen cools skin by 5°C in 20 mins & protects marine life. Finally, a sun-smart choice I can feel good
新加坡科学家研制出以植物花粉为基础的防晒霜 对珊瑚无害 - cnBeta.COM 移动版
新加坡南洋理工大学（NTU）与韩国首尔国立大学的科学家团队共同研发出一种新型防晒微凝胶。这款防晒霜采用茶花花粉为原料，不仅能有效抵御有害紫外线（UV），而且对珊瑚无害，还能令皮肤保持清凉。
m.cnbeta.com.tw
September 7, 2025 at 6:47 AM
🌊 Singapore's NTU scientists just revolutionized sunscreen! They created a coral-safe formula from camellia pollen's sporopollenin. No harmful minerals – goodbye coral bleaching!
☀️ This SPF30 sunscreen cools skin by 5°C in 20 mins & protects marine life. Finally, a sun-smart choice I can feel good
☀️ This SPF30 sunscreen cools skin by 5°C in 20 mins & protects marine life. Finally, a sun-smart choice I can feel good
Today’s Big Picture: A boat-lily’s pollen grain—armor of sporopollenin, a single sulcus for germination, and micro-architecture revealed by electrons. (CREDIT: Andel) #Microscopy #Palynology #TheBigPicture scientificinquirer.com/2025/08/17/t...
August 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Today’s Big Picture: A boat-lily’s pollen grain—armor of sporopollenin, a single sulcus for germination, and micro-architecture revealed by electrons. (CREDIT: Andel) #Microscopy #Palynology #TheBigPicture scientificinquirer.com/2025/08/17/t...
"PhD Opportunity, Sporopollenin at University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
*Application Deadline: 3/15/2025"
Read more here: https://arabidopsis.org/news/jobs/view?file=20250220_USASK.pdf
#PlantSciJobs
*Application Deadline: 3/15/2025"
Read more here: https://arabidopsis.org/news/jobs/view?file=20250220_USASK.pdf
#PlantSciJobs
February 20, 2025 at 10:51 PM
"PhD Opportunity, Sporopollenin at University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
*Application Deadline: 3/15/2025"
Read more here: https://arabidopsis.org/news/jobs/view?file=20250220_USASK.pdf
#PlantSciJobs
*Application Deadline: 3/15/2025"
Read more here: https://arabidopsis.org/news/jobs/view?file=20250220_USASK.pdf
#PlantSciJobs
ATP-CITRATE LYASEB1 supplies materials for sporopollenin biosynthesis and microspore development in Arabidopsis (Chang-Kai Ma, Sheng-Hong Wang, Qiang-Sheng Shi, et. al.) https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf044 @ASPB #PlantScience
February 7, 2025 at 5:59 PM
ATP-CITRATE LYASEB1 supplies materials for sporopollenin biosynthesis and microspore development in Arabidopsis (Chang-Kai Ma, Sheng-Hong Wang, Qiang-Sheng Shi, et. al.) https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf044 @ASPB #PlantScience
ATP-CITRATE LYASEB1 supplies materials for sporopollenin biosynthesis and microspore development in Arabidopsis academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... @plantphys.bsky.social
ATP-CITRATE LYASEB1 supplies materials for sporopollenin biosynthesis and microspore development in Arabidopsis
An ATP-citrate lyase produces cytoplasmic acetyl-CoA in tapetal cells that is required for the biosynthesis of materials and nutrients that support pollen
academic.oup.com
February 3, 2025 at 7:07 AM
ATP-CITRATE LYASEB1 supplies materials for sporopollenin biosynthesis and microspore development in Arabidopsis academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... @plantphys.bsky.social
Full house on our first departmental seminar this year. Which biopolymer is your favorite? If you ask @lauraragni.bsky.social it's suberin and lignin, if you ask @reskilab.bsky.social he will say sporopollenin and cutin, but in the opinion of @huguesrenault.bsky.social all four of them!
January 10, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Full house on our first departmental seminar this year. Which biopolymer is your favorite? If you ask @lauraragni.bsky.social it's suberin and lignin, if you ask @reskilab.bsky.social he will say sporopollenin and cutin, but in the opinion of @huguesrenault.bsky.social all four of them!
#NMRchat Sustainable Synthesis of Single-Phase Ba3MgSi2O8 Nanoparticles Using Sporopollenin for Fructose Syrup Production: DFT and Quantitative NMR Insights on Glucose Isomerization http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c07670
December 13, 2024 at 2:16 PM
#NMRchat Sustainable Synthesis of Single-Phase Ba3MgSi2O8 Nanoparticles Using Sporopollenin for Fructose Syrup Production: DFT and Quantitative NMR Insights on Glucose Isomerization http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c07670
The polyketide pathway in sporopollenin biosynthesis is specific to land plants (Embryophyta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.10.617703v1
The polyketide pathway in sporopollenin biosynthesis is specific to land plants (Embryophyta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.10.617703v1
Sporopollenin (SP) is a complex biopolymer in the outer cell wall of spores and pollen and provides
www.biorxiv.org
October 14, 2024 at 9:05 PM
The polyketide pathway in sporopollenin biosynthesis is specific to land plants (Embryophyta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.10.617703v1
The polyketide pathway in sporopollenin biosynthesis is specific to land plants (Embryophyta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.10.617703v1
The polyketide pathway in sporopollenin biosynthesis is specific to land plants (Embryophyta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.10.617703v1
Sporopollenin (SP) is a complex biopolymer in the outer cell wall of spores and pollen and provides
www.biorxiv.org
October 14, 2024 at 9:05 PM
The polyketide pathway in sporopollenin biosynthesis is specific to land plants (Embryophyta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.10.617703v1
New Article: "Polymeric phenylpropanoid derivatives crosslinked by hydroxyl fatty acids form the core structure of rape sporopollenin" rdcu.be/dWVOC
Other components, ligated to free hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of the core structure, form the peripheral structure.
Other components, ligated to free hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of the core structure, form the peripheral structure.
October 14, 2024 at 2:40 PM
New Article: "Polymeric phenylpropanoid derivatives crosslinked by hydroxyl fatty acids form the core structure of rape sporopollenin" rdcu.be/dWVOC
Other components, ligated to free hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of the core structure, form the peripheral structure.
Other components, ligated to free hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of the core structure, form the peripheral structure.
new preprint:
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
www.biorxiv.org
January 23, 2024 at 1:55 PM
new preprint:
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.17.576121v1
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.17.576121v1
The enigmatic moss, Takakia lepidozioides, possesses a particular type III polyketide synthase, ASCL
www.biorxiv.org
January 22, 2024 at 5:38 PM
Takakia possesses a key marker of embryophyte sporopollenin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.17.576121v1