Tag: Cell Biology

Plant growth is determined not only by cell division, but also by loosening of the cell wall. Arsuffi and Braybrook review our understanding of the mechanisms of cell wall loosening. Already in the 1970s scientists started to observe that low pH leads to increased growth, using destructive experiments.…

By Daniel B. Szymanski and Christopher J. Staiger A dynamic network of filamentous elements, the cytoskeleton, holds the key to patterning of the cell wall during growth. This review focuses on the actin cytoskeleton during cell morphogenesis. The field is progressing rapidly, enabled by forward-…

By Michel Ruiz Rosquete, Destiny Jade Davis, and Georgia Drakakaki Abstract Transport networks may be defined as sets of connected nodes or hubs where cargo from different origins are sorted to their final destinations. The trans-Golgi Network (TGN) is the most discussed and arguably busiest hub…

Plasmodesmata are plasma membrane-enclosed pores between cells that were initially described by Tangl in 1879 as ‘open communications’ between protoplasts of endosperm cells. These structures are regulated by callose deposition from the apoplast and play an important regulatory role in stress and…

Pollen tubes exhibit unidirectional, polar growth because vesicles carrying compounds required for growth  are selectively transported to the growing apex. The phosphoinositide PtdIns(4,5)P2 accumulates at the apex and  is thought to help with vesicle targeting. Helpel et al. showed that the lipid…

KATANIN is a AAA ATPase protein which, according to the most recent models, is able to track along microtubules (MTs) and sever emergent γ-TUBULIN and AUGMIN-nucleated MTs. This severing event occurs at MT cross-over areas, particularly where there are MT lattice defects, promoting disassembly of unfavorable…

Plants repair wound sites through the formation of unorganized cell masses called calli, which can also serve as progenitors of new organs. Callus formation and organ regeneration often entail cell cycle re-entry of quiescent cells, which is achieved through the re-activation of core cell cycle regulators…

Plant glandular trichomes can store and secrete great amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are important for a variety of processes, from development to interacting with herbivores. VOCs accumulate in specific extracellular spaces which can be subcuticular or intercellular. The active transport…