Plant Physiology Preview Published on September 20, 2002; 10.1104/pp.004267
Received February 15, 2002
Returned for revision April 9, 2002
Accepted June 24, 2002
Endoplasmic Microtubules Configure the Subapical Cytoplasm and Are Required for Fast Growth of Medicago truncatula Root Hairs
Björn J. Sieberer , Antonius C.J. Timmers , Franck G.P. Lhuissier , and Anne Mie C. Emons *
Laboratory of Plant Cell Biology, Wageningen University, Arboretumlaan 4, 6703 BD Wageningen, The Netherlands (B.J.S., F.G.P.L., A.M.C.E.); and Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire des Relations Plantes-Microorganismes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, BP 27, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan cedex, France (A.C.J.T.)
* Corresponding author; email: annemie.emons{at}wur.nl.
To investigate the configuration and function of microtubules (MTs) in tip-growing Medicago truncatula root hairs, we used immunocytochemistry or in vivo decoration by a GFP linked to a MT-binding domain. The two approaches gave similar results and allowed the study of MTs during hair development. Cortical MTs (CMTs) are present in all developmental stages. During the transition from bulge to a tip-growing root hair, endoplasmic MTs (EMTs) appear at the tip of the young hair and remain there until growth arrest. EMTs are a specific feature of tip-growing hairs, forming a three-dimensional array throughout the subapical cytoplasmic dense region. During growth arrest, EMTs, together with the subapical cytoplasmic dense region, progressively disappear, whereas CMTs extend further toward the tip. In full-grown root hairs, CMTs, the only remaining population of MTs, converge at the tip and their density decreases over time. Upon treatment of growing hairs with 1 µM oryzalin, EMTs disappear, but CMTs remain present. The subapical cytoplasmic dense region becomes very short, the distance nucleus tip increases, growth slows down, and the nucleus still follows the advancing tip, though at a much larger distance. Taxol has no effect on the cytoarchitecture of growing hairs; the subapical cytoplasmic dense region remains intact, the nucleus keeps its distance from the tip, but growth rate drops to the same extent as in hairs treated with 1 µM oryzalin. The role of EMTs in growing root hairs is discussed.
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. M. R. Faria, J. Buitink, A. A. M. van Lammeren, and H. W. M. Hilhorst
Changes in DNA and microtubules during loss and re-establishment of desiccation tolerance in germinating Medicago truncatula seeds
J. Exp. Bot.,
August 1, 2005;
56(418):
2119 - 2130.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
V. N. Vassileva, H. Kouchi, and R. W. Ridge
Microtubule Dynamics in Living Root Hairs: Transient Slowing by Lipochitin Oligosaccharide Nodulation Signals
PLANT CELL,
June 1, 2005;
17(6):
1777 - 1787.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. Mathur
Conservation of boundary extension mechanisms between plants and animals
J. Cell Biol.,
February 28, 2005;
168(5):
679 - 682.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. R. Weerasinghe, D. McK. Bird, and N. S. Allen
Root-knot nematodes and bacterial Nod factors elicit common signal transduction events in Lotus japonicus
PNAS,
February 22, 2005;
102(8):
3147 - 3152.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. Takemoto and A. R. Hardham
The Cytoskeleton as a Regulator and Target of Biotic Interactions in Plants
Plant Physiology,
December 1, 2004;
136(4):
3864 - 3876.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
N. Van Bruaene, G. Joss, and P. Van Oostveldt
Reorganization and in Vivo Dynamics of Microtubules during Arabidopsis Root Hair Development
Plant Physiology,
December 1, 2004;
136(4):
3905 - 3919.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. Saedler, N. Mathur, B. P. Srinivas, B. Kernebeck, M. Hulskamp, and J. Mathur
Actin Control Over Microtubules Suggested by DISTORTED2 Encoding the Arabidopsis ARPC2 Subunit Homolog
Plant Cell Physiol.,
July 15, 2004;
45(7):
813 - 822.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. J. Gage
Infection and Invasion of Roots by Symbiotic, Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobia during Nodulation of Temperate Legumes
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev.,
June 1, 2004;
68(2):
280 - 300.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. L. Preuss, J. Serna, T. G. Falbel, S. Y. Bednarek, and E. Nielsen
The Arabidopsis Rab GTPase RabA4b Localizes to the Tips of Growing Root Hair Cells
PLANT CELL,
June 1, 2004;
16(6):
1589 - 1603.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
|
|