Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Disorganization of Cortical Microtubules Stimulates Tangential Expansion and Reduces the Uniformity of Cellulose Microfibril Alignment among Cells in the Root of Arabidopsis

Journal Article · · Plant Physiology (Bethesda)
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3]
  1. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States); University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
  2. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States); Ghent University (Belgium)
  3. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
To test the role of cortical microtubules in aligning cellulose microfibrils and controlling anisotropic expansion, we exposed Arabidopsis thaliana roots to moderate levels of the microtubule inhibitor, oryzalin. After 2 d of treatment, roots grow at approximately steady state. At that time, the spatial profiles of relative expansion rate in length and diameter were quantified, and roots were cryofixed, freeze-substituted, embedded in plastic, and sectioned. Here, the angular distribution of microtubules as a function of distance from the tip was quantified from antitubulin immunofluorescence images. In alternate sections, the overall amount of alignment among microfibrils and their mean orientation as a function of position was quantified with polarized-light microscopy. The spatial profiles of relative expansion show that the drug affects relative elongation and tangential expansion rates independently. The microtubule distributions averaged to transverse in the growth zone for all treatments, but on oryzalin the distributions became broad, indicating poorly organized arrays. At a subcellular scale, cellulose microfibrils in oryzalin-treated roots were as well aligned as in controls; however, the mean alignment direction, while consistently transverse in the controls, was increasingly variable with oryzalin concentration, meaning that microfibril orientation in one location tended to differ from that of a neighboring location. This conclusion was confirmed by direct observations of microfibrils with field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Taken together, these results suggest that cortical microtubules ensure microfibrils are aligned consistently across the organ, thereby endowing the organ with a uniform mechanical structure.
Research Organization:
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-03ER15421
OSTI ID:
2483277
Journal Information:
Plant Physiology (Bethesda), Journal Name: Plant Physiology (Bethesda) Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 135; ISSN 0032-0889
Publisher:
American Society of Plant BiologistsCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (47)

Some Cytological Effects of O–Isopropyl N–Phenyl Carbamate upon Avena journal January 1948
Microfibrillar Structure of Growing Plant Cell Walls book January 1980
Effects of gibberellin and colchicine on microfibril arrangement in epidermal cell walls of Vigna angularis Ohwi et Ohashi epicotyls journal April 1981
The case for multinet growth in growing walls of plant cells journal August 1982
Some effects of colchicine on microtubules and cell division in roots ofAzolla pinnata journal March 1980
On the alignment of cellulose microfibrils by cortical microtubules: A review and a model journal March 2001
Directional cell-to-cell communication in the Arabidopsis root apical meristem I. An ultrastructural and functional analysis journal March 1998
Consistent handedness of microtubule helical arrays in maize and Arabidopsis primary roots journal March 1996
Mitotic disrupter herbicides act by a single mechanism but vary in efficacy journal March 1994
Patterns of microtubule reappearance in root cells ofVigna sinensis recovering from a colchicine treatment journal June 1991
Orientation of Cortical Microtubules in Interphase Plant Cells book January 1991
The Preprophase Band of Microtubules: Its Function as a Cytokinetic Apparatus in Higher Plants book January 1999
Mitotic Disrupter Herbicides journal September 1991
Do microtubules orient plant cell wall microfibrils? journal March 1992
Microtubule basis for left-handed helical growth in Arabidopsis journal May 2002
Cryofixing single cells and multicellular specimens enhances structure and immunocytochemistry for light microscopy journal May 1996
In vitro assembly of cellulose/xyloglucan networks: ultrastructural and molecular aspects journal October 1995
Cellulose microfibril alignment recovers from DCB-induced disruption despite microtubule disorganization journal November 2003
BOTERO1 is required for normal orientation of cortical microtubules and anisotropic cell expansion in Arabidopsis journal January 2001
The making of the architecture of the plant cell wall: How cells exploit geometry journal June 1998
Tangled1 journal January 2001
A "Microtubule" in Plant cell fine Structure journal October 1963
Microtubules and Fibrils in the Cytoplasm of Coleus Cells Undergoing Secondary wall Deposition journal March 1964
Growth and Cell Pattern Formation on an Axis: Critique of Concepts, Terminology, and Modes of Study journal September 1976
Growth of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings under water deficit studied by control of water potential in nutrient‐agar media journal September 2000
Relative Elemental Rates and Anisotropy of Growth in Area: a Computer Programme journal January 1966
Comparison of the Disruption of Mitosis and Cell Plate Formation in Oat Roots by DCPA, Colchicine and Propham journal January 1985
Growth and morphogenesis at the vegetative shoot apex of Anagallis arvensis L. journal April 2003
Regulation of Root Elongation under Phosphorus Stress Involves Changes in Ethylene Responsiveness journal January 2003
Rapid and Reversible High-Affinity Binding of the Dinitroaniline Herbicide Oryzalin to Tubulin from Zea mays L journal July 1993
Inhibitors of Protein Kinases and Phosphatases Alter Root Morphology and Disorganize Cortical Microtubules journal February 1997
Regulation of Growth Anisotropy in Well-Watered and Water-Stressed Maize Roots (I. Spatial Distribution of Longitudinal, Radial, and Tangential Expansion Rates) journal September 1997
Analysis of Cell Division and Elongation Underlying the Developmental Acceleration of Root Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana journal April 1998
Regulation of Growth Anisotropy in Well-Watered and Water-Stressed Maize Roots. II. Role of Cortical Microtubules and Cellulose Microfibrils journal February 1999
Covalent Binding of the Benzamide RH-4032 to Tubulin in Suspension-Cultured Tobacco Cells and Its Application in a Cell-Based Competitive-Binding Assay journal September 2000
New Techniques Enable Comparative Analysis of Microtubule Orientation, Wall Texture, and Growth Rate in Intact Roots of Arabidopsis journal December 2000
Growth of the Maize Primary Root at Low Water Potentials: I. Spatial Distribution of Expansive Growth journal May 1988
Alteration of Oriented Deposition of Cellulose Microfibrils by Mutation of a Katanin-Like Microtubule-Severing Protein journal August 2002
Mutation or Drug-Dependent Microtubule Disruption Causes Radial Swelling without Altering Parallel Cellulose Microfibril Deposition in Arabidopsis Root Cells journal May 2003
Control of Cellulose Synthase Complex Localization in Developing Xylem journal July 2003
New polarized light microscope with precision universal compensator journal November 1995
Cell growth, wall deposition, and correlated fine structure of colchicine-treated lettuce hypocotyl cells journal April 1977
Depolymerization of microtubule arrays in root tip cells by oryzalin and their recovery with modified nucleation patterns journal December 1988
Remodeling the Cytoskeleton for Growth and Form: An Overview with Some New Views journal June 2003
Organogenesis-A Biophysical View journal June 1980
Plant Cell Expansion: Regulation of Cell Wall Mechanical Properties journal June 1984
Mutant alleles of Arabidopsis RADIALLY SWOLLEN 4 and 7 reduce growth anisotropy without altering the transverse orientation of cortical microtubules or cellulose microfibrils journal October 2002

Similar Records

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES