Two new loci, PLEIADE and HYADE, implicate organ-specific regulation of cytokinesis in Arabidopsis

Roles of the Arabidopsis KEULE Gene in Postembryonic Development

Cytokinesis in plant cells begins with the fusion of vesicles that transport cell wall materials to the center of the cell division plane, where the cell plate forms and expands radially until it fuses with the parental cell wall. Vesicle fusion is facilitated by trans-SNARE complexes, with assistance from Sec1/Munc18 (SM) proteins. The SNARE protein KNOLLE and the SM protein KEULE are required for membrane fusion at the cell plate. Due to the crucial function of KEULE, all Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) keule mutants identified to date are seedling lethal. Here, we identified the Arabidopsis serrata4-1 (sea4-1) and sea4-2 mutants, which carry recessive, hypomorphic alleles of KEULE. Homozygous sea4-1 and sea4-2 plants are viable and fertile but have smaller rosettes and fewer leaves at bolting than the wild type. Their leaves are serrated, small, and wavy, with a complex venation pattern. The mutant leaves also develop necrotic patches and undergo premature senescence. RNA-seq revealed transcriptome changes likely leading to reduced cell wall integrity and an increase in the unfolded protein response. These findings shed light on the roles of KEULE in postembryonic development, particularly in the patterning of rosette leaves and leaf margins.

Control of cellularization, nuclear localization, and antipodal cell cluster development in maize embryo sacs

The maize female gametophyte contains four cell types: two synergids, an egg cell, a central cell, and a variable number of antipodal cells. In maize, these cells are produced after three rounds of free-nuclear divisions followed by cellularization, differentiation, and proliferation of the antipodal cells. Cellularization of the eight-nucleate syncytium produces seven cells with two polar nuclei in the central cell. Nuclear localization is tightly controlled in the embryo sac. This leads to precise allocation of the nuclei into the cells upon cellularization. Nuclear positioning within the syncytium is highly correlated with their identity after cellularization. Two mutants are described with extra polar nuclei, abnormal antipodal cell morphology, and reduced antipodal cell number, as well as frequent loss of antipodal cell marker expression. Mutations in one of these genes, indeterminate gametophyte2 encoding a MICROTUBULE ASSOCIATED PROTEIN65-3 homolog, shows a requirement for MAP65-3 in cellularization of the syncytial embryo sac as well as for normal seed development. The timing of the effects of ig2 suggests that the identity of the nuclei in the syncytial female gametophyte can be changed very late before cellularization.

Rice kinesin-related protein STD1 and microtubule-associated protein MAP65-5 cooperatively control microtubule bundling

STD1 specifically interacts with MAP65-5 in rice and they cooperatively control microtubule bundles in phragmoplast expansion during cell division. Microtubules play critical roles during the cell cycle progression in the plant cell. We previously reported that STEMLESS DWARF 1 (STD1), a kinesin-related protein, was localized specifically to the phragmoplast midzone during telophase to regulate the lateral expansion of phragmoplast in rice (Oryza sativa). However, how STD1 regulates microtubule organization remains unknown. Here, we found that STD1 interacted directly with MAP65-5, a member of the microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Both STD1 and MAP65-5 could form homodimers and bundle microtubules individually. Compared with MAP65-5, the microtubules bundled by STD1 were disassembled completely into single microtubules after adding ATP. Conversely, the interaction of STD1 with MAP65-5 enhanced the microtubule bundling. These results suggest STD1 and MAP65-5 might cooperatively regulate microtubule organization in the phragmoplast at telophase.

Rice microtubule-associated protein OsMAP65-3.1, but not OsMAP65-3.2, plays a critical role in phragmoplast microtubule organization in cytokinesis

In plants, MAP65 preferentially cross-links the anti-parallel microtubules (MTs) and plays an important role for cytokinesis. However, the functions of MAP65 isoforms in rice (Oryza sativa. L) are largely unknown. Here, we identified two MAP65-3 homologs in rice, OsMAP65-3.1 and OsMAP65-3.2. We found that both OsMAP65-3.1 and OsMAP65-3.2 were similar in dimerization and location to AtMAP65-3, and the expression of either rice genes driven by the AtMAP65-3 promoter suppressed the cytokinesis failure and growth defect of atmap65-3. However, OsMAP65-3.1 with native promoter also recovered the atmap65-3, but OsMAP65-3.2 with its own promoter had no effects. OsMAP65-3.1 but not OsMAP65-3.2 was actively expressed in tissues enriched with dividing cells. R1R2R3-Myb (MYB3R) transcription factors directly bound to the OsMAP65-3.1 promoter but not that of OsMAP65-3.2. Furthermore, osmap65-3.2 had no obvious phenotype, while either osmap65-3.1 or osmap65-3.1(+/-) was lethal. The eminent MTs around the daughter nuclei and cytokinesis defects were frequently observed in OsMAP65-3.1-defective plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that OsMAP65-3.1, rather than OsMAP65-3.2, plays essential roles in rice cytokinesis resulting from their differential expression which were passably directly regulated by OsMYB3Rs.

Transcriptional landscape of highly lignified poplar stems at single-cell resolution

BACKGROUND

Plant secondary growth depends on the activity of the vascular cambium, which produces xylem and phloem. Wood derived from xylem is the most abundant form of biomass globally and has played key socio-economic and subsistence roles throughout human history. However, despite intensive study of vascular development, the full diversity of cell types and the gene networks engaged are still poorly understood.

RESULTS

Here, we have applied an optimized protoplast isolation protocol and RNA sequencing to characterize the high-resolution single-cell transcriptional landscape of highly lignified poplar stems. We identify 20 putative cell clusters with a series of novel cluster-specific marker genes and find that these cells are highly heterogeneous based on the transcriptome. Analysis of these marker genes' expression dynamics enables reconstruction of the cell differentiation trajectories involved in phloem and xylem development. We find that different cell clusters exhibit distinct patterns of phytohormone responses and emphasize the use of our data to predict potential gene redundancy and identify candidate genes related to vascular development in trees.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings establish the transcriptional landscape of major cell types of poplar stems at single-cell resolution and provide a valuable resource for investigating basic principles of vascular cell specification and differentiation in trees.

Analysis of formin functions during cytokinesis using specific inhibitor SMIFH2

The phragmoplast separates daughter cells during cytokinesis by constructing the cell plate, which depends on interaction between cytoskeleton and membrane compartments. Proteins responsible for these interactions remain unknown, but formins can link cytoskeleton with membranes and several members of formin protein family localize to the cell plate. Progress in functional characterization of formins in cytokinesis is hindered by functional redundancies within the large formin gene family. We addressed this limitation by employing Small Molecular Inhibitor of Formin Homology 2 (SMIFH2), a small-molecule inhibitor of formins. Treatment of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) tissue culture cells with SMIFH2 perturbed localization of actin at the cell plate; slowed down both microtubule polymerization and phragmoplast expansion; diminished association of dynamin-related proteins with the cell plate independently of actin and microtubules; and caused cell plate swelling. Another impact of SMIFH2 was shortening of the END BINDING1b (EB1b) and EB1c comets on the growing microtubule plus ends in N. tabacum tissue culture cells and Arabidopsis thaliana cotyledon epidermis cells. The shape of the EB1 comets in the SMIFH2-treated cells resembled that of the knockdown mutant of plant Xenopus Microtubule-Associated protein of 215 kDa (XMAP215) homolog MICROTUBULE ORGANIZATION 1/GEMINI 1 (MOR1/GEM1). This outcome suggests that formins promote elongation of tubulin flares on the growing plus ends. Formins AtFH1 (A. thaliana Formin Homology 1) and AtFH8 can also interact with EB1. Besides cytokinesis, formins function in the mitotic spindle assembly and metaphase to anaphase transition. Our data suggest that during cytokinesis formins function in: (1) promoting microtubule polymerization; (2) nucleating F-actin at the cell plate; (3) retaining dynamin-related proteins at the cell plate; and (4) remodeling of the cell plate membrane.

Multicolour three dimensional structured illumination microscopy of immunolabeled plant microtubules and associated proteins

BACKGROUND

In the present work, we provide an account of structured illumination microscopy (SIM) imaging of fixed and immunolabeled plant probes. We take advantage of SIM, to superresolve intracellular structures at a considerable z-range and circumvent its low temporal resolution capacity during the study of living samples. Further, we validate the protocol for the imaging of fixed transgenic material expressing fluorescent protein-based markers of different subcellular structures.

RESULTS

Focus is given on 3D imaging of bulky subcellular structures, such as mitotic and cytokinetic microtubule arrays as well as on the performance of SIM using multichannel imaging and the quantitative correlations that can be deduced. As a proof of concept, we provide a superresolution output on the organization of cortical microtubules in wild-type and mutant Arabidopsis cells, including aberrant preprophase microtubule bands and phragmoplasts in a cytoskeletal mutant devoid of the p60 subunit of the microtubule severing protein KATANIN and refined details of cytoskeletal aberrations in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) mutant mpk4. We further demonstrate, in a qualitative and quantitative manner, colocalizations between MPK6 and unknown dually phosphorylated and activated MAPK species and we follow the localization of the microtubule associated protein 65-3 (MAP65-3) in telophase and cytokinetic microtubular arrays.

CONCLUSIONS

3D SIM is a powerful, versatile and adaptable microscopy method for elucidating spatial relationships between subcellular compartments. Improved methods of sample preparation aiming to the compensation of refractive index mismatches, allow the use of 3D SIM in the documentation of complex plant cell structures, such as microtubule arrays and the elucidation of their interactions with microtubule associated proteins.

Phragmoplast expansion: the four-stroke engine that powers plant cytokinesis

The phragmoplast is a plant-specific secretory module that partitions daughter cells during cytokinesis by constructing a cell plate from membranes and oligosaccharides. The cell plate is typically a long structure, which requires the phragmoplast to expand to complete cytokinesis. The phragmoplast expands by coordinating microtubule dynamics with membrane trafficking. Each step in phragmoplast expansion involves the establishment of anti-parallel microtubule overlaps that are enriched with the protein MAP65, which recruits cytokinetic vesicles through interaction with the tethering factor, TRAPPII. Cell plate assembly triggers dissolution of the anti-parallel overlaps and stabilization of microtubule plus ends through association with the cell plate assembly machinery. This opinion article discusses processes that drive phragmoplast expansion as well as highlights key questions that remain for better understanding its role in plant cell division.

Dual localized kinesin-12 POK2 plays multiple roles during cell division and interacts with MAP65-3

Kinesins are versatile nano-machines that utilize variable non-motor domains to tune specific motor microtubule encounters. During plant cytokinesis, the kinesin-12 orthologs, PHRAGMOPLAST ORIENTING KINESIN (POK)1 and POK2, are essential for rapid centrifugal expansion of the cytokinetic apparatus, the phragmoplast, toward a pre-selected cell plate fusion site at the cell cortex. Here, we report on the spatio-temporal localization pattern of POK2, mediated by distinct protein domains. Functional dissection of POK2 domains revealed the association of POK2 with the site of the future cell division plane and with the phragmoplast during cytokinesis. Accumulation of POK2 at the phragmoplast midzone depends on its functional POK2 motor domain and is fine-tuned by its carboxy-terminal region that also directs POK2 to the division site. Furthermore, POK2 likely stabilizes the phragmoplast midzone via interaction with the conserved microtubule-associated protein MAP65-3/PLEIADE, a well-established microtubule cross-linker. Collectively, our results suggest that dual localized POK2 plays multiple roles during plant cell division.

Advanced microscopy methods for bioimaging of mitotic microtubules in plants

Mitotic cell division in plants is a dynamic process playing a key role in plant morphogenesis, growth, and development. Since progress of mitosis is highly sensitive to external stresses, documentation of mitotic cell division in living plants requires fast and gentle live-cell imaging microscopy methods and suitable sample preparation procedures. This chapter describes, both theoretically and practically, currently used advanced microscopy methods for the live-cell visualization of the entire process of plant mitosis. These methods include microscopy modalities based on spinning disk, Airyscan confocal laser scanning, structured illumination, and light-sheet bioimaging of tissues or whole plant organs with diverse spatiotemporal resolution. Examples are provided from studies of mitotic cell division using microtubule molecular markers in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and from deep imaging of mitotic microtubules in robust plant samples, such as legume crop species Medicago sativa.

Cell cycle-regulated PLEIADE/AtMAP65-3 links membrane and microtubule dynamics during plant cytokinesis

Cytokinesis, the partitioning of the cytoplasm following nuclear division, requires extensive coordination between cell cycle cues, membrane trafficking and microtubule dynamics. Plant cytokinesis occurs within a transient membrane compartment known as the cell plate, to which vesicles are delivered by a plant-specific microtubule array, the phragmoplast. While membrane proteins required for cytokinesis are known, how these are coordinated with microtubule dynamics and regulated by cell cycle cues remains unclear. Here, we document physical and genetic interactions between Transport Protein Particle II (TRAPPII) tethering factors and microtubule-associated proteins of the PLEIADE/AtMAP65 family. These interactions do not specifically affect the recruitment of either TRAPPII or MAP65 proteins to the cell plate or midzone. Rather, and based on single versus double mutant phenotypes, it appears that they are required to coordinate cytokinesis with the nuclear division cycle. As MAP65 family members are known to be targets of cell cycle-regulated kinases, our results provide a conceptual framework for how membrane and microtubule dynamics may be coordinated with each other and with the nuclear cycle during plant cytokinesis.

The Membrane-Associated Sec1/Munc18 KEULE is Required for Phragmoplast Microtubule Reorganization During Cytokinesis in Arabidopsis

Cytokinesis, the partitioning of the cytoplasm following nuclear division, requires extensive coordination between membrane trafficking and cytoskeletal dynamics. In plants, the onset of cytokinesis is characterized by the assembly of a bipolar microtubule array, the phragmoplast, and of a transient membrane compartment, the cell plate. Little is known about the coordination between membrane deposition at the cell plate and the dynamics of phragmoplast microtubules. In this study, we monitor the localization dynamics of microtubule and membrane markers throughout cytokinesis. Our spatiotemporal resolution is consistent with the general view that microtubule dynamics drive membrane movements. Nonetheless, we provide evidence for active sorting at the cell plate and show that this is, at least in part, mediated by the TRAPPII tethering complex. We also characterize phragmoplast microtubule organization and cell plate formation in a suite of cytokinesis-defective mutants. Of four mutant lines with defects in phragmoplast microtubule organization, only mor1 microtubule-associated mutants exhibited aberrant cell plates. Conversely, the mutants with the strongest impairment in phragmoplast microtubule reorganization are keule alleles, which have a primary defect in membrane fusion. Our findings identify the SEC1/Munc18 protein KEULE as a central regulatory node in the coordination of membrane and microtubule dynamics during plant cytokinesis.

A Genetic Screen for Mutations Affecting Cell Division in the Arabidopsis thaliana Embryo Identifies Seven Loci Required for Cytokinesis

Cytokinesis in plants involves the formation of unique cellular structures such as the phragmoplast and the cell plate, both of which are required to divide the cell after nuclear division. In order to isolate genes that are involved in de novo cell wall formation, we performed a large-scale, microscope-based screen for Arabidopsis mutants that severely impair cytokinesis in the embryo. We recovered 35 mutations that form abnormally enlarged cells with multiple, often polyploid nuclei and incomplete cell walls. These mutants represent seven genes, four of which have previously been implicated in phragmoplast or cell plate function. Mutations in two loci show strongly reduced transmission through the haploid gametophytic generation. Molecular cloning of both corresponding genes reveals that one is represented by hypomorphic alleles of the kinesin-5 gene RADIALLY SWOLLEN 7 (homologous to tobacco kinesin-related protein TKRP125), and that the other gene corresponds to the Arabidopsis FUSED ortholog TWO-IN-ONE (originally identified based on its function in pollen development). No mutations that completely abolish the formation of cross walls in diploid cells were found. Our results support the idea that cytokinesis in the diploid and haploid generations involve similar mechanisms.

Characterization of Cytokinetic Mutants Using Small Fluorescent Probes

Cytokinesis is a powerful paradigm for addressing fundamental questions of plant biology including molecular mechanisms of development, cell division, cell signaling, membrane trafficking, cell wall synthesis, and cytoskeletal dynamics. Genetics was instrumental in identification of proteins regulating cytokinesis. Characterization of mutant lines generated using forward or reverse genetics includes microscopic analysis for defects in cell division. Typically, failure of cytokinesis results in appearance of multinucleate cells, formation of cell wall stubs, and isotropic cell expansion in the root elongation zone. Small fluorescent probes served as a very effective tool for the detection of cytokinetic defects. Such probes stain living or formaldehyde-fixed specimens avoiding complex preparatory steps. Although resolution of the fluorescence probes is inferior to electron microscopy, the procedure is fast, easy, and does not require expensive materials or equipment. This chapter describes techniques for staining DNA with the probes DAPI and SYTO82, for staining membranes with FM4-64, and for staining cell wall with propidium iodide.

Transcriptional repression by MYB3R proteins regulates plant organ growth

In multicellular organisms, temporal and spatial regulation of cell proliferation is central for generating organs with defined sizes and morphologies. For establishing and maintaining the post-mitotic quiescent state during cell differentiation, it is important to repress genes with mitotic functions. We found that three of the Arabidopsis MYB3R transcription factors synergistically maintain G2/M-specific genes repressed in post-mitotic cells and restrict the time window of mitotic gene expression in proliferating cells. The combined mutants of the three repressor-type MYB3R genes displayed long roots, enlarged leaves, embryos, and seeds. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that MYB3R3 binds to the promoters of G2/M-specific genes and to E2F target genes. MYB3R3 associates with the repressor-type E2F, E2FC, and the RETINOBLASTOMA RELATED proteins. In contrast, the activator MYB3R4 was in complex with E2FB in proliferating cells. With mass spectrometry and pairwise interaction assays, we identified some of the other conserved components of the multiprotein complexes, known as DREAM/dREAM in human and flies. In plants, these repressor complexes are important for periodic expression during cell cycle and to establish a post-mitotic quiescent state determining organ size.

Induction of Embryogenesis in Brassica Napus Microspores Produces a Callosic Subintinal Layer and Abnormal Cell Walls with Altered Levels of Callose and Cellulose

The induction of microspore embryogenesis produces dramatic changes in different aspects of the cell physiology and structure. Changes at the cell wall level are among the most intriguing and poorly understood. In this work, we used high pressure freezing and freeze substitution, immunolocalization, confocal, and electron microscopy to analyze the structure and composition of the first cell walls formed during conventional Brassica napus microspore embryogenesis, and in cultures treated to alter the intracellular Ca(2+) levels. Our results revealed that one of the first signs of embryogenic commitment is the formation of a callose-rich, cellulose-deficient layer beneath the intine (the subintinal layer), and of irregular, incomplete cell walls. In these events, Ca(2+) may have a role. We propose that abnormal cell walls are due to a massive callose synthesis and deposition of excreted cytoplasmic material, and the parallel inhibition of cellulose synthesis. These features were absent in pollen-like structures and in microspore-derived embryos, few days after the end of the heat shock, where abnormal cell walls were no longer produced. Together, our results provide an explanation to a series of relevant aspects of microspore embryogenesis including the role of Ca(2+) and the occurrence of abnormal cell walls. In addition, our discovery may be the explanation to why nuclear fusions take place during microspore embryogenesis.

MAPs: cellular navigators for microtubule array orientations in Arabidopsis

Microtubules are subcellular nanotubes composed of α- and β-tubulin that arise from microtubule nucleation sites, mainly composed of γ-tubulin complexes [corrected]. Cell wall encased plant cells have evolved four distinct microtubule arrays that regulate cell division and expansion. Microtubule-associated proteins, the so called MAPs, construct, destruct and reorganize microtubule arrays thus regulating their spatiotemporal transitions during the cell cycle. By physically binding to microtubules and/or modulating their functions, MAPs control microtubule dynamic instability and/or interfilament cross talk. We survey the recent analyses of Arabidopsis MAPs such as MAP65, MOR1, CLASP, katanin, TON1, FASS, TRM, TAN1 and kinesins in terms of their effects on microtubule array organizations and plant development.

GLUCAN SYNTHASE-LIKE8 and STEROL METHYLTRANSFERASE2 are required for ploidy consistency of the sexual reproduction system in Arabidopsis

In sexually reproducing plants, the meiocyte-producing archesporal cell lineage is maintained at the diploid state to consolidate the formation of haploid gametes. In search of molecular factors that regulate this ploidy consistency, we isolated an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, called enlarged tetrad2 (et2), which produces tetraploid meiocytes through the stochastic occurrence of premeiotic endomitosis. Endomitotic polyploidization events were induced by alterations in cell wall formation, and similar cytokinetic defects were sporadically observed in other tissues, including cotyledons and leaves. ET2 encodes GLUCAN SYNTHASE-LIKE8 (GSL8), a callose synthase that mediates the deposition of callose at developing cell plates, root hairs, and plasmodesmata. Unlike other gsl8 mutants, in which defects in cell plate formation are seedling lethal, cytokinetic defects in et2 predominantly occur in flowers and have little effect on vegetative growth and development. Similarly, mutations in STEROL METHYLTRANSFERASE2 (SMT2), a major sterol biosynthesis enzyme, also lead to weak cytokinetic defects, primarily in the flowers. In addition, SMT2 allelic mutants also generate tetraploid meiocytes through the ectopic induction of premeiotic endomitosis. These observations demonstrate that appropriate callose and sterol biosynthesis are required for maintaining the ploidy level of the premeiotic germ lineage and that subtle defects in cytokinesis may lead to diploid gametes and polyploid offspring.

POM-POM2/cellulose synthase interacting1 is essential for the functional association of cellulose synthase and microtubules in Arabidopsis

In plants, regulation of cellulose synthesis is fundamental for morphogenesis and plant growth. Cellulose is synthesized at the plasma membrane, and the orientation of synthesis is guided by cortical microtubules; however, the guiding mechanism is currently unknown. We show that the conditional root elongation pom2 mutants are impaired in cell elongation, fertility, and microtubule-related functions. Map-based cloning of the POM-POM2 locus revealed that it is allelic to CELLULOSE SYNTHASE INTERACTING1 (CSI1). Fluorescently tagged POM2/CSI1s associated with both plasma membrane-located cellulose synthases (CESAs) and post-Golgi CESA-containing compartments. Interestingly, while CESA insertions coincided with cortical microtubules in the pom2/csi1 mutants, the microtubule-defined movement of the CESAs was significantly reduced in the mutant. We propose that POM2/CSI1 provides a scaffold between the CESAs and cortical microtubules that guide cellulose synthesis.

Interactome of the plant-specific ESCRT-III component AtVPS2.2 in Arabidopsis thaliana

The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) guides transmembrane proteins to domains that bud away from the cytoplasm. The ESCRT machinery consists of four complexes. ESCRT complexes 0–II are important for cargo recognition and concentration via ubiquitin binding. Most of the membrane bending function is mediated by the large multimeric ESCRT-III complex and associated proteins. Here we present the first in vivo proteome analysis of a member of the ESCRT-III complex which is unique to the plant kingdom. We show with LC–MS/MS, yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) that coimmunoprecipitated proteins from Arabidopsisthaliana roots expressing a functional GFP-tagged VACUOLAR PROTEIN SORTING 2.2 (AtVPS2.2) protein are members of the ESCRT-III complex and associated proteins. Therefore we propose that at least in plants the large ESCRT-III membrane scaffolding complex consists of a mixture of SNF7, VPS2 and the associated VPS46 and VPS60 proteins. Apart from transmembrane proteins, numerous membrane-associated but also nuclear and extracellular proteins have been identified, indicating that AtVPS2.2 might be involved in processes beyond the classical ESCRT role. This study is the first in vivo proteome analysis with a tagged ESCRT-III component demonstrating the feasibility of this approach and provides numerous starting points for the investigation of the biological process in which AtVPS2.2 is involved.

The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) guides transmembrane proteins to domains that bud away from the cytoplasm. Most of the membrane bending function is mediated by the ESCRT-III complex. Proteomic analysis was used to identify novel ESCRT-III interactors of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings expressing a functional GFP-tagged VACUOLAR PROTEIN SORTING2.2 as bait. Some intractors were confirmed by yeast-two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation and others will be the target for future investigations.

Unique cell wall abnormalities in the putative phosphoinositide phosphatase mutant AtSAC9

SAC9 is a putative phosphoinositide phosphatase in Arabidopsis thaliana involved in phosphoinositide signaling. sac9-1 plants have a constitutively stressed phenotype with shorter roots which notably accumulate phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and its hydrolysis product inositol trisphosphate. We investigated the primary roots of sac9-1 seedlings at the cytological and ultrastructural level to determine the structural basis for this altered growth. Despite the normal appearance of organelles and cytoplasmic elements, our studies reveal extreme abnormalities of cell wall and membrane structures in sac9-1 primary root cells, regardless of cell type, position within the meristematic area, and plane of section. Cell wall material was deposited locally and in a range of abnormal shapes, sometimes completely fragmenting the cell. Simple protuberances, broad flanges, diffuse patches, elaborate folds, irregular loops and other complex three-dimensional structures were found to extend randomly from the pre-existing cell wall. Abundant vesicles and excessive membrane material were associated with these irregular wall structures. We argue that a perturbed phosphoinositide metabolism most likely induces these observed abnormalities and hypothesize that a disorganized cytoskeleton and excessive membrane trafficking mediate the cell wall defects.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 is involved in the regulation of mitotic and cytokinetic microtubule transitions in Arabidopsis thaliana

• A mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) double mutant, Arabidopsis homologue of nucleus and phragmoplast associated kinase (anp) anp2anp3, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 4 mutant mpk4 of Arabidopsis thaliana show prominent cytokinetic defects. This prompted the analysis of mitotic and cytokinetic progression as a function of MAPK signalling. Mutants were compared with wild types untreated or treated with the specific MAPKK inhibitor PD98059. • This study included phenotype analysis, expression analysis of the MPK4 promoter, immunofluorescent localization of MPK4, tubulin and MAP65-1, and time-lapse microscopic visualization of the mitotic microtubule (MT) transitions in control, mutant and inhibitor-treated cells. • Mutant and inhibitor-treated cells showed defects in mitosis and cytokinesis, including aberrant spindle and phragmoplast formation and drastically delayed or abortive mitosis and cytokinesis. As a result, bi- and multinucleate cells were formed, ultimately disturbing the vegetative tissue patterning. MPK4 was localized to all stages of the expanding phragmoplast, in a pattern similar to that of its putative substrate MAP65-1. • In this study, MPK4 is shown to be involved in the regulation of mitosis/cytokinesis through modulation of the cell division plane and cytokinetic progression.

Arabidopsis microtubule-associated protein AtMAP65-2 acts as a microtubule stabilizer

Nine genes that encode proteins of the MAP65 family have been identified in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. In this study, we reported that AtMAP65-2, a member of the AtMAP65 family, could strongly stabilize microtubules (MTs). Bacterially-expressed AtMAP65-2 fusion proteins induced the formation of large MT bundles in vitro. Although AtMAP65-2 showed little effect on MT assembly or nucleation, AtMAP65-2 greatly stabilized MTs that were subjected to low-temperature treatment in vitro. Analyses of truncated versions of AtMAP65-2 indicated that the region that encompassed amino acids 495-578, which formed a flexible extended loop, played a crucial role in the stabilization of MTs. Analysis of suspension-cultured Arabidopsis cells that expressed the AtMAP65-2-GFP fusion protein showed that AtMAP65-2 co-localized with MTs throughout the cell cycle. Cortical MTs that were decorated with AtMAP65-2-GFP were more resistant to the MT-disrupting drug propyzamide and to ice treatment in vivo. The results of this study demonstrate that AtMAP65-2 strongly stabilizes MTs and is involved in the regulation of MT organization and dynamics.

Emerging molecular mechanisms that power and regulate the anastral mitotic spindle of flowering plants

Flowering plants, lacking centrosomes as well as dynein, assemble their mitotic spindle via a pathway that is distinct visually and molecularly from that of animals and yeast. The molecular components underlying mitotic spindle assembly and function in plants are beginning to be discovered. Here, we review recent evidence suggesting the preprophase band in plants functions analogously to the centrosome in animals in establishing spindle bipolarity, and we review recent progress characterizing the roles of specific motor proteins in plant mitosis. Loss of function of certain minus-end-directed KIN-14 motor proteins causes a broadening of the spindle pole; whereas, loss of function of a KIN-5 causes the formation of monopolar spindles, resembling those formed when the homologous motor protein (e.g., Eg5) is knocked out in animal cells. We present a phylogeny of the kinesin-5 motor domain, which shows deep divergence among plant sequences, highlighting possibilities for specialization. Finally, we review information concerning the roles of selected structural proteins at mitosis as well as recent findings concerning regulation of M-phase in plants. Insight into the mitotic spindle will be obtained through continued comparison of mitotic mechanisms in a diversity of cells.

The AGL62 MADS domain protein regulates cellularization during endosperm development in Arabidopsis

Endosperm, a storage tissue in the angiosperm seed, provides nutrients to the embryo during seed development and/or to the developing seedling during germination. A major event in endosperm development is the transition between the syncytial phase, during which the endosperm nuclei undergo many rounds of mitosis without cytokinesis, and the cellularized phase, during which cell walls form around the endosperm nuclei. The molecular processes controlling this phase transition are not understood. In agl62 seeds, the endosperm cellularizes prematurely, indicating that AGL62 is required for suppression of cellularization during the syncytial phase. AGL62 encodes a Type I MADS domain protein that likely functions as a transcription factor. During seed development, AGL62 is expressed exclusively in the endosperm. During wild-type endosperm development, AGL62 expression is strong during the syncytial phase and then declines abruptly just before cellularization. By contrast, in mutant seeds containing defects in some FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT SEED (FIS) class Polycomb group genes, the endosperm fails to cellularize and AGL62 expression fails to decline. Together, these data suggest that AGL62 suppresses cellularization during the syncytial phase of endosperm development and that endosperm cellularization is triggered via direct or indirect AGL62 inactivation by the FIS polycomb complex.

MAP65-3 microtubule-associated protein is essential for nematode-induced giant cell ontogenesis in Arabidopsis

The infection of plants by obligate parasitic nematodes constitutes an interesting model for investigating plant cytoskeleton functions. Root knot nematodes have evolved the ability to manipulate host functions to their own advantage by redifferentiating root cells into multinucleate and hypertrophied feeding cells. These giant cells result from repeated rounds of karyokinesis without cell division. Detailed functional analyses demonstrated that Arabidopsis thaliana Microtubule-Associated Protein65-3 (MAP65-3) was essential for giant cell ontogenesis and that cytokinesis was initiated but not completed in giant cells. In developing giant cells, MAP65-3 was associated with a novel kind of cell plate-the giant cell mini cell plate-that separates daughter nuclei. In the absence of functional MAP65-3, giant cells developed but failed to fully differentiate and were eventually destroyed. These defects in giant cells impaired the maturation of nematode larvae. Thus, MAP65-3 is essential for giant cell development during root knot nematode infection. Subcellular localization of MAP65-3 and analysis of microtubule organization in the dyc283 T-DNA map65-3 mutant demonstrated that MAP65-3 played a critical role in organizing the mitotic microtubule array during both early and late mitosis in all plant organs. Here, we propose a model for the role of MAP65-3 in giant cell ontogenesis.

The Arabidopsis elch mutant reveals functions of an ESCRT component in cytokinesis

Recently, an alternative route to the proteasomal protein-degradation pathway was discovered that specifically targets transmembrane proteins marked with a single ubiquitin to the endosomal multivesicular body (MVB) and, subsequently, to the vacuole (yeast) or lysosome (animals), where they are degraded by proteases. Vps23p/TSG101 is a key component of the ESCRT I-III machinery in yeast and animals that recognizes mono-ubiquitylated proteins and sorts them into the MVB. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis ELCH (ELC) gene encodes a Vps23p/TSG101 homolog, and that homologs of all known ESCRT I-III components are present in the Arabidopsis genome. As with its animal and yeast counterparts, ELC binds ubiquitin and localizes to endosomes. Gel-filtration experiments indicate that ELC is a component of a high-molecular-weight complex. Yeast two-hybrid and immunoprecipitation assays showed that ELC interacts with Arabidopsis homologs of the ESCRT I complex. The elc mutant shows multiple nuclei in various cell types, indicating a role in cytokinesis. Double-mutant analysis with kaktus shows that increased ploidy levels do not influence the cytokinesis effect of elc mutants, suggesting that ELC is only important during the first endoreduplication cycle. Double mutants with tubulin folding cofactor a mutants show a synergistic phenotype, suggesting that ELC regulates cytokinesis through the microtubule cytoskeleton.

The Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of yeast BRE1 has a function in cell cycle regulation during early leaf and root growth

Chromatin modification and transcriptional activation are novel roles for E3 ubiquitin ligase proteins that have been mainly associated with ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. We identified HISTONE MONOUBIQUITINATION1 (HUB1) (and its homolog HUB2) in Arabidopsis thaliana as RING E3 ligase proteins with a function in organ growth. We show that HUB1 is a functional homolog of the human and yeast BRE1 proteins because it monoubiquitinated histone H2B in an in vitro assay. Hub knockdown mutants had pale leaf coloration, modified leaf shape, reduced rosette biomass, and inhibited primary root growth. One of the alleles had been designated previously as ang4-1. Kinematic analysis of leaf and root growth together with flow cytometry revealed defects in cell cycle activities. The hub1-1 (ang4-1) mutation increased cell cycle duration in young leaves and caused an early entry into the endocycles. Transcript profiling of shoot apical tissues of hub1-1 (ang4-1) indicated that key regulators of the G2-to-M transition were misexpressed. Based on the mutant characterization, we postulate that HUB1 mediates gene activation and cell cycle regulation probably through chromatin modifications.

Two kinesins are involved in the spatial control of cytokinesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

In plant cells, the plane of division is anticipated at the onset of mitosis by the presence of a preprophase band (PPB) of microtubules and F-actin at a cortical site that circumscribes the nucleus. During cytokinesis, the microtubule- and F-actin-based phragmoplast facilitates construction of a new cell wall and is guided to the forecast division site. Proper execution of this process is essential for establishing the cellular framework of plant tissues. The microtubule binding protein TANGLED1 (TAN1) of maize is a key player in the determination of division planes . Lack of TAN1 leads to misguided phragmoplasts and mispositioned cell walls in maize. In a yeast two-hybrid screen for TAN1-interacting proteins, a pair of related kinesins was identified that shares significant sequence homology with two kinesin-12 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana): PHRAGMOPLAST ORIENTING KINESIN 1 and 2 (POK1, POK2). POK1 and POK2 are expressed in tissues enriched for dividing cells. The phenotype of pok1;pok2 double mutants strongly resembles that of maize tan1 mutants, characterized by misoriented mitotic cytoskeletal arrays and misplaced cell walls. We propose that POK1 and POK2 participate in the spatial control of cytokinesis, perhaps via an interaction with the A. thaliana TAN1 homolog, ATN.

Cytokinesis in plant and animal cells: endosomes 'shut the door'

For many years, cytokinesis in eukaryotic cells was considered to be a process that took a variety of forms. This is rather surprising in the face of an apparently conservative mitosis. Animal cytokinesis was described as a process based on an actomyosin-based contractile ring, assembling, and acting at the cell periphery. In contrast, cytokinesis of plant cells was viewed as the centrifugal generation of a new cell wall by fusion of Golgi apparatus-derived vesicles. However, recent advances in animal and plant cell biology have revealed that many features formerly considered as plant-specific are, in fact, valid also for cytokinetic animal cells. For example, vesicular trafficking has turned out to be important not only for plant but also for animal cytokinesis. Moreover, the terminal phase of animal cytokinesis based on midbody microtubule activity resembles plant cytokinesis in that interdigitating microtubules play a decisive role in the recruitment of cytokinetic vesicles and directing them towards the cytokinetic spaces which need to be plugged by fusing endosomes. Presently, we are approaching another turning point which brings cytokinesis in plant and animal cells even closer. As an unexpected twist, new studies reveal that both plant and animal cytokinesis is driven not so much by Golgi-derived vesicles but rather by homotypically and heterotypically fusing endosomes. These are generated from cytokinetic cortical sites defined by preprophase microtubules and contractile actomyosin ring, which induce local endocytosis of both the plasma membrane and cell wall material. Finally, plant and animal cytokinesis meet together at the physical separation of daughter cells despite obvious differences in their preparatory events.

Plant cytokinesis: fission by fusion

Cytokinesis partitions the cytoplasm of a dividing cell. Unlike yeast and animal cells, which form cleavage furrows from the plasma membrane, cells in higher plants make a new membrane independently of the plasma membrane by homotypic fusion of vesicles. In somatic cells, a plant-specific cytoskeletal array, called a phragmoplast, is thought to deliver vesicles to the plane of division. Vesicle fusion generates a membranous network, the cell plate, which, by fusion of later-arriving vesicles with its margin, expands towards the cell periphery and eventually fuses with the plasma membrane. In this review (part of the Cytokinesis series), I describe recent studies addressing the mechanisms that underlie cell-plate formation and the coordinated dynamics of membrane fusion and cytoskeletal reorganization during progression through cytokinesis.

Cytokinesis in higher plants

Cytokinesis partitions the cytoplasm between two or more nuclei. In higher plants, cytokinesis is initiated by cytoskeleton-assisted targeted delivery of membrane vesicles to the plane of cell division, followed by local membrane fusion to generate tubulo-vesicular networks. This initial phase of cytokinesis is essentially the same in diverse modes of plant cytokinesis whereas the subsequent transformation of the tubulo-vesicular networks into the partitioning membrane may be different between systems. This review focuses on membrane and cytoskeleton dynamics in cell plate formation and expansion during somatic cytokinesis.

Molecular dissection of plant cytokinesis and phragmoplast structure: a survey of GFP-tagged proteins

To identify molecular players implicated in cytokinesis and division plane determination, the Arabidopsis thaliana genome was explored for potential cytokinesis genes. More than 100 open reading frames were selected based on similarity to yeast and animal cytokinesis genes, cytoskeleton and polarity genes, and Nicotiana tabacum genes showing cell cycle-controlled expression. The subcellular localization of these proteins was determined by means of GFP tagging in tobacco Bright Yellow-2 cells and Arabidopsis plants. Detailed confocal microscopy identified 15 proteins targeted to distinct regions of the phragmoplast and the cell plate. EB1- and MAP65-like proteins were associated with the plus-end, the minus-end, or along the entire length of microtubules. The actin-binding protein myosin, the kinase Aurora, and a novel cell cycle protein designated T22, accumulated preferentially at the midline. EB1 and Aurora, in addition to other regulatory proteins (homologs of Mob1, Sid1, and Sid2), were targeted to the nucleus, suggesting that this organelle operates as a coordinating hub for cytokinesis.

Cytokinesis: lines of division taking shape

Plant cytokinesis requires an orchestrated interplay of membrane and cytoskeleton dynamics, which results in the formation of the membrane that partitions the cytoplasm of the dividing cell. Until recently, phragmoplast-assisted cytokinesis of somatic cells was regarded as mechanistically different from 'non-conventional' modes of cytokinesis, such as endosperm cellularisation or male meiotic cytokinesis. However, features that are similar among these diverse modes of cytokinesis have now been revealed by electron tomography, suggesting common underlying mechanisms that are also supported by genetic and molecular studies. Further insight into the complex process of cytokinesis has been gained from the identification of new components and from the analysis of known components.

The Arabidopsis microtubule-associated protein AtMAP65-1: molecular analysis of its microtubule bundling activity

The 65-kD microtubule-associated protein (MAP65) family is a family of plant microtubule-bundling proteins. Functional analysis is complicated by the heterogeneity within this family: there are nine MAP65 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, AtMAP65-1 to AtMAP65-9. To begin the functional dissection of the Arabidopsis MAP65 proteins, we have concentrated on a single isoform, AtMAP65-1, and examined its effect on the dynamics of mammalian microtubules. We show that recombinant AtMAP65-1 does not promote polymerization and does not stabilize microtubules against cold-induced microtubule depolymerization. However, we show that it does induce microtubule bundling in vitro and that this protein forms 25-nm cross-bridges between microtubules. We further demonstrate that the microtubule binding region resides in the C-terminal half of the protein and that Ala409 and Ala420 are essential for the interaction with microtubules. Ala420 is a conserved amino acid in the AtMAP65 family and is mutated to Val in the cytokinesis-defective mutant pleiade-4 of the AtMAP65-3/PLEIADE gene. We show that AtMAP65-1 can form dimers and that a region in the N terminus is responsible for this activity. Neither the microtubule binding region nor the dimerization region alone could induce microtubule bundling, strongly suggesting that dimerization is necessary to produce the microtubule cross-bridges. In vivo, AtMAP65-1 is ubiquitously expressed both during the cell cycle and in all plant organs and tissues with the exception of anthers and petals. Moreover, using an antiserum raised to AtMAP65-1, we show that AtMAP65-1 binds microtubules at specific stages of the cell cycle.

The plant microtubule-associated protein AtMAP65-3/PLE is essential for cytokinetic phragmoplast function

Directional cell expansion in interphase and nuclear and cell division in M-phase are mediated by four microtubule arrays, three of which are unique to plants: the interphase array, the preprophase band, and the phragmoplast. The plant microtubule-associated protein MAP65 has been identified as a key structural component in these arrays. The Arabidopsis genome has nine MAP65 genes, and here we show that one, AtMAP65-3/PLE, locates only to the mitotic arrays and is essential for cytokinesis. The Arabidopsis pleiade (ple) alleles are single recessive mutations, and we show that these mutations are in the AtMAP65-3 gene. Moreover, these mutations cause C-terminal truncations that abolish microtubule binding. In the ple mutants the anaphase spindle is normal, and the cytokinetic phragmoplast can form but is distorted; not only is it wider, but the midline, the region where oppositely oriented microtubules overlap, is unusually expanded. Here we present data that demonstrate an essential role for AtMAP65-3/PLE in cytokinesis in plant cells.

Plant Cytoskeleton: Reinforcing Lines of Division in Plant Cells

Cytokinesis in plants has unique features concerned with defining and maintaining the line of cell division. Recent studies have identified key cytoskeletal components and events that help to ensure the fidelity of cytokinesis in higher plants.

SCD1 is required for cytokinesis and polarized cell expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana [corrected]

In the leaf epidermis, guard mother cells undergo a stereotyped symmetric division to form the guard cells of stomata. We have identified a temperature-sensitive Arabidopsis mutant, stomatal cytokinesis-defective 1-1 (scd1-1), which affects this specialized division. At the non-permissive temperature, 22 degrees C, defective scd1-1 guard cells are binucleate, and the formation of their ventral cell walls is incomplete. Cytokinesis was also disrupted in other types of epidermal cells such as pavement cells. Further phenotypic analysis of scd1-1 indicated a role for SCD1 in seedling growth, root elongation and flower morphogenesis. More severe scd1 T-DNA insertion alleles (scd1-2 and scd1-3) markedly affect polar cell expansion, most notably in trichomes and root hairs. SCD1 is a unique gene in Arabidopsis that encodes a protein related to animal proteins that regulate intracellular protein transport and/or mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Consistent with a role for SCD1 in membrane trafficking, secretory vesicles were found to accumulate in cytokinesis-defective scd1 cells. In addition the scd1 mutant phenotype was enhanced by low doses of inhibitors of cell plate consolidation and vesicle secretion. We propose that SCD1 functions in polarized vesicle trafficking during plant cytokinesis and cell expansion.