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Orientation of cortical microtubules correlates with cell shape and division direction

Immunofluorescence of intact epidermis during development ofGraptopetalum paraguayensis

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Summary

Cortical microtubules in the epidermis of regeneratingGraptopetalum plants were examined by in situ immunofluorescence. Paradermal slices of tissue were prepared by a method that preserves microtubule arrays and also maintains cell junctions. To test the hypothesis that cortical microtubule arrays align perpendicular to the direction of organ growth, arrays were visualized and their orientation quantified. A majority of microtubules are in transverse orientation with respect to the organ axis early in shoot development when the growth habit is uniform. Later in development, when growth habit is non-uniform and the tissue is contoured, cortical microtubules are increasingly longitudinal and oblique in orientation. Microtubules show only a minor change in orientation at the site of greatest curvature, the transition zone of a developing leaf. To assess the role of the division plane on orientation of arrays, the pattern of microtubules was examined in individual cells of common shape. Cells derived from transverse divisions have predominately transverse cortical arrays, whereas cells derived from oblique and longitudinal divisions have non-transverse arrays. The results show that, regardless of the stage of development, microtubules orient with respect to cell shape and plane of division. The results suggest that cytoskeletal function is best considered in small domains of growth within an organ.

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Abbreviations

DMSO:

dimethylsulfoxide

EGTA:

ethylene glycol-bis-(ß-aminoethyl ether)-N, N, N′, N′-tetra acetic acid

FITC:

fluorescein isothiocyanate

MTSB:

microtubule stabilizing buffer

PBS:

phosphate buffered saline

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Author notes

  1. Michelle H. Williams

    Present address: Division of Horticulture, C.S.I.R.O., P.O. Box 350, 5001, Adelaide, S.A., Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California

    Anne W. Sylvester, Michelle H. Williams & P. B. Green

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  1. Anne W. Sylvester
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  2. Michelle H. Williams
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  3. P. B. Green
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Sylvester, A.W., Williams, M.H. & Green, P.B. Orientation of cortical microtubules correlates with cell shape and division direction. Protoplasma 153, 91–103 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01322469

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01322469

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