IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v417y2002i6885d10.1038_417193a.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Microtubule basis for left-handed helical growth in Arabidopsis

Author

Listed:
  • Siripong Thitamadee

    (Nara Institute of Science and Technology)

  • Kazuko Tuchihara

    (Nara Institute of Science and Technology)

  • Takashi Hashimoto

    (Nara Institute of Science and Technology)

Abstract

Left–right asymmetry in plants can be found in helices of stalks, stems and tendrils, and in fan-like petal arrangements. The handedness in these asymmetric structures is often fixed in given species, indicating that genetic factors control asymmetric development1. Here we show that dominant negative mutations at the tubulin intradimer interface of α-tubulins 4 and 6 cause left-handed helical growth and clockwise twisting in elongating organs of Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate that the mutant tubulins incorporate into microtubule polymers, producing right-handed obliquely oriented cortical arrays, in the root epidermal cells. The cortical microtubules in the mutants had increased sensitivity to microtubule-specific drugs. These results suggest that reduced microtubule stability can produce left-handed helical growth in plants.

Suggested Citation

  • Siripong Thitamadee & Kazuko Tuchihara & Takashi Hashimoto, 2002. "Microtubule basis for left-handed helical growth in Arabidopsis," Nature, Nature, vol. 417(6885), pages 193-196, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:417:y:2002:i:6885:d:10.1038_417193a
    DOI: 10.1038/417193a
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/417193a
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/417193a?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:417:y:2002:i:6885:d:10.1038_417193a. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.