Examining the role of microtubules and kinesins during stromule dynamics
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The innate immunity of plants requires the transport of defense factors that are synthesized from the chloroplasts to the nucleus. Insight into the role of dynamic tubular extensions from chloroplasts called stromules, in this process, is quintessential to our understanding of plant innate immunity. These defense factors enhance the hypersensitive response-programmed cell death (HR-PCD) that can help plants to survive. The mechanism of the stromule movement is still not well understood. This movement can potentially involve either of the two plant cytoskeletal elements: actin microfilaments (AF) or microtubules (MT). A few research groups have previously claimed that stromules use myosin motors and move along actin microfilaments. However, our lab findings suggest that stromules dynamically extend and move along microtubules and are stabilized by actin microfilaments. Using cytoskeleton distributions for both AFs and MTs, and by quantifying the number of stromules and their length, we demonstrated that stromules extend and move along microtubules (MTs). Furthermore, to understand how stromules extend and move along microtubules to the nucleus, a MT kinesin motor (KSE2) was investigated to see how that will affect stromule driven movement. The results support that MTs are necessary for stromule formation and KSE2 can play a role in stromules extention and movement.
Description
Keywords
Biological sciences, Chloroplasts, Kinesin, Microtubules, Stromules