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The Cortical Microtubule Array: From Dynamics To Organization, Ram Dixit, Richard Cyr
The Cortical Microtubule Array: From Dynamics To Organization, Ram Dixit, Richard Cyr
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Cortical microtubules (CMTs) are essential for normal plant morphogenesis because they affect the axes of cell elongation and predict the placement of cell division planes. The function of the CMTs is intimately linked to their organizational state, which is subject to spatial and temporal modifications by developmental and environmental cues. CMT assembly dynamics govern when, where, and how microtubules appear in a cell's cortex, and the regulation of these properties affects their organization. However, the principles that link microtubule assembly dynamics to cortical array organization and reconfiguration are not well understood. This essay focuses on recent advances in the understanding …
Encounters Between Dynamic Cortical Microtubules Promote Ordering Of The Cortical Array Through Angle-Dependent Modifications Of Microtubule Behavior, Ram Dixit, Richard Cyr
Encounters Between Dynamic Cortical Microtubules Promote Ordering Of The Cortical Array Through Angle-Dependent Modifications Of Microtubule Behavior, Ram Dixit, Richard Cyr
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Ordered cortical microtubule arrays are essential for normal plant morphogenesis, but how these arrays form is unclear. The dynamics of individual cortical microtubules are stochastic and cannot fully account for the observed order; however, using tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cells expressing either the MBD-DsRed (microtubule binding domain of the mammalian MAP4 fused to the Discosoma sp red fluorescent protein) or YFP-TUA6 (yellow fluorescent protein fused to the Arabidopsis alpha-tubulin 6 isoform) microtubule markers, we identified intermicrotubule interactions that modify their stochastic behaviors. The intermicrotubule interactions occur when the growing plus-ends of cortical microtubules encounter previously existing cortical microtubules. Importantly, the outcome …