Microtubules and cellulose microfibrils: how intimate is their relationship?

Trends Plant Sci. 2007 Jul;12(7):279-81. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2007.06.002. Epub 2007 Jun 25.

Abstract

The recent visualization of the motion of fluorescently labeled cellulose synthase complexes by Alexander Paredez and colleagues heralds the start of a new era in the science of the plant cell wall. Upon drug-induced complete depolymerization, the movement of the complexes does not become disordered but instead establishes an apparently self-organized novel pattern. The ability to label complexes in vivo has provided us with the ideal tool for tackling the intriguing question of the underlying default mechanisms at play.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Cellulose / metabolism*
  • Glucosyltransferases / metabolism
  • Microfibrils / metabolism*
  • Microtubules / metabolism*
  • Plant Cells
  • Plants / metabolism*

Substances

  • Cellulose
  • Glucosyltransferases
  • cellulose synthase