Letter abstract
Nature Cell Biology 5, 967 - 971 (2003)
Published online: 12 October 2003 | doi:10.1038/ncb1057
There is a Corrigendum (January 2004) associated with this Letter.
EB1 reveals mobile microtubule nucleation sites in Arabidopsis
Jordi Chan1, Grant M. Calder1, John H. Doonan1 & Clive W. Lloyd1
In plants, it is unclear how dispersed cortical microtubules are nucleated, polarized and organized in the absence of centrosomes. In Arabidopsis thaliana cells, expression of a fusion between the microtubule-end-binding protein AtEB1a and green fluorescent protein (GFP) results in labelling of spindle poles, where minus ends gather. During interphase, AtEB1a–GFP labels the microtubule plus end as a comet, but also marks the minus end as a site from which microtubules can grow and shrink. These minus-end nucleation sites are mobile, explaining how the cortical array can redistribute during the cell cycle and supporting the idea of a flexible centrosome in plants.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
Correspondence to: Clive W. Lloyd1 e-mail: clive.lloyd@bbsrc.ac.uk
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