Work

Actin-mediated avoidance of tricellular junction influences global topology at the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Division plane orientation contributes to cell shape and topological organization, playing a key role in morphogenesis, but the precise physical and molecular mechanism influencing these processes remains largely obscure in plants. In particular, it is less clear how the placement of the new walls occurs in relation to the walls of neighboring cells. Here, we show that genetic perturbation of the actin cytoskeleton results in more rectangular cell shapes and higher incidences of four-way junctions, perturbing the global topology of cells in the shoot apical meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana. Actin mutants also exhibit changes in the expansion rate of the new versus the maternal cell wall after division, affecting the evolution of internal angles at tricellular junctions. Further, the increased width of the preprophase band in the actin mutant contributes to inaccuracy in the placement of the new cell wall. Computational simulation further substantiates this hypothesis and reproduces the observed cell shape defects.

Source: Cell Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114844

Authors: Yang Wang, Soeren Strauss, Richard S. Smith, Arun Sampathkumar

Institutions: University of Copenhagen, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park

Language: English

Topic: Plant Molecular Biology Research

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,460

Funders: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, China Scholarship Council, Directorate for Biological Sciences, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council