Pollen tube (PT) serves as a vehicle that delivers male gametes (sperm cells) to a female gametophyte during double fertilization, which eventually leads to the seed formation. It is one of the fastest elongating structures in plants. Normally, PTs traverse through the extracellular matrix at the transmitting tract after penetrating the stigma. While the endeavor may appear simple, the molecular processes and mechanics of the PT elongation is yet to be fully resolved. Although it is the most studied “tip–growing” structure in plants, several features of the structure (e.g., Membrane dynamics, growth behavior, mechanosensing etc.) are only partially understood. In many aspects, PTs are still considered as a tissue rather than a “unique cell.” In this review, we have attempted to discuss mainly on the mechanics behind PT–elongation and briefly on the molecular players involved in the process. Four aspects of PTs are particularly discussed: the PT as a cell, its membrane dynamics, mechanics of its elongation, and the potential mechanosensors involved in its elongation based on relevant findings in both plant and non-plant models.

花粉管 (PT) 作为在双受精过程中将雄配子（精子细胞）传递给雌配子体的载体，最终形成种子。它是植物中伸长最快的结构之一。正常情况下，PT穿过柱头后穿过传输道的细胞外基质。虽然这一努力看似简单，但 PT 延伸的分子过程和机制尚未完全解决。尽管它是植物中研究最多的“尖端生长”结构，但该结构的几个特征（例如膜动力学、生长行为、机械传感等）仅被部分了解。在许多方面，PT 仍然被视为组织而不是“独特的细胞”。在这篇综述中，我们试图主要讨论 PT 延伸背后的机制，并简要介绍参与该过程的分子参与者。特别讨论了 PT 的四个方面：作为细胞的 PT、其膜动力学、其伸长力学，以及基于植物和非植物模型中的相关发现参与其伸长的潜在机械传感器。