title: Microtubules and cellulose microfibrils: how intimate is their relationship?
abstract: The recent visualization of the motion of fluorescently labeled cellulose synthase complexes by Alexander Paredez and colleagues heralds the start of a new era in the science of the plant cell wall. Upon drug-induced complete depolymerization, the movement of the complexes does not become disordered but instead establishes an apparently self-organized novel pattern. The ability to label complexes in vivo has provided us with the ideal tool for tackling the intriguing question of the underlying default mechanisms at play.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Cell Biology, Wageningen University, Arboretumlaan 4, 6703 BD Wageningen, The Netherlands. annemie.emons@wur.nl
authors.forename: Anne Mie C
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Emons
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Höfte
authors.forename: Bela M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Mulder
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D020894:Microfibrils / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D059828:Plant Cells; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C478648:cellulose synthase