Cytoskeletal control of plant cell shape: getting the fine points.

Laurie G Smith

Journal: Current opinion in plant biology 2003;6(1):63-73

PMID: 12495753

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

The shapes of plant cells, which are defined by their surrounding walls, are often important for cell function. The cytoskeleton plays key roles in determining plant cell shape, mainly by influencing the patterns in which wall materials are deposited in expanding cells. Studies employing cytoskeleton-disrupting drugs, together with studies of mutants with cytoskeletal defects, have demonstrated that both microtubules and actin filaments are critical for all modes of cell expansion, although their precise roles remain poorly understood. In recent years, however, significant progress has been made in understanding the contributions of a variety of proteins that influence cell shape by regulating the organization and polymerization of cytoskeletal filaments in expanding cells.

Address: Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla 92093-0116, USA. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1016/s1369-5266(02)00012-2

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MeSH Terms: Actins, Calcium Channels, Cell Size, Cell Surface Extensions, Cell Wall, Cellulose, Cytoskeletal Proteins, Cytoskeleton, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning, Microtubules, Mutation, Plant Development, Plant Epidermis, Plants