Size control in dynamic organelles.
The mechanisms that control organelle size are unknown. Flagellar length regulation is the most accessible of all organelle-size-control problems, and experiments on flagellar assembly have provided important clues to how flagellar length is controlled, as a balance of assembly and disassembly. I propose that the inherent length dependence of intraflagellar transport might be what allows the flagellum to reach a defined length. This model of the flagellum might represent a general scheme for organelle size control that could apply to any organelle whose maintenance involves continuous assembly balanced by disassembly.
Marshall
Wallace
W
Dept Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, 266 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT, USA. wallace.marshall@yale.edu
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D048429:Cell Size; D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism; D005407:Flagella / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*