Book Description

The cytoskeleton including its microtubule (Mt) component participates in processes that directly affect growth and development in higher plants. Normal cytoskeletal function requires the precise and orderly arrangement of Mts into several cell cycle and developmentally specific arrays. The cortical array somehow directs the deposition of cellulose. Little molecular information is available regarding the formation of these arrays or the cellular signals to which they respond. Experimental data described here suggests that plant cells use calcium, in the form of a Ca{sup ++}/calmodulin complex, to affect the dynamics of Mts within the cortical array. Owing to the importance of Ca{sup ++} as a regulatory ion in higher plants we are probing for a putative Ca{sup ++}/Mt transduction pathway which may serve to integrate Mt activities within the growing and developing plant cell. We are using a lysed cell model in conjunction with immunocytochemical and biochemical methodologies to dissect how Ca{sup ++}/calmodulin interacts with Mts to affect their function.