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Intrabundle microtubule dynamics in the Arabidopsis cortical array
Author(s) -
Shaw Sidney L.,
Lucas Jessica
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
cytoskeleton
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1949-3592
pISSN - 1949-3584
DOI - 10.1002/cm.20495
Subject(s) - treadmilling , microtubule , arabidopsis , biology , interphase , biophysics , depolymerization , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science , cytoskeleton , mutant , biochemistry , genetics , microfilament , gene , cell , polymer chemistry
We tested the general hypothesis that bundling stabilizes the dynamic properties of the constituent microtubules (MTs) in vivo. We quantified the assembly dynamics of bundled and unbundled MTs in the interphase cortical array of Arabidopsis hypocotyl cells using high dynamic range spinning disk confocal microscopy. We find no evidence that bundled MTs are stabilized against depolymerization through changes to their dynamic properties. Our observations of MT plus and minus ends indicate that both bundled and unbundled polymers undergo persistent treadmilling in this system. We conclude that the temporal persistence of MT subassemblies in the Arabidopsis cortical array is largely dependent upon recruitment or nucleation of new treadmilling MTs and not on polymer stabilization. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that small differences discovered in the dynamic properties between bundled and unbundled polymers would produce relatively small macroscopic effects on the larger MT array. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.