title: Quantitative analysis of microtubule orientation in interdigitated leaf pavement cells.
abstract: Leaf pavement cells are shaped like a jigsaw puzzle in most dicotyledon species. Molecular genetic studies have identified several genes required for pavement cells morphogenesis and proposed that microtubules play crucial roles in the interdigitation of pavement cells. In this study, we performed quantitative analysis of cortical microtubule orientation in leaf pavement cells in Arabidopsis thaliana. We captured confocal images of cortical microtubules in cotyledon leaf epidermis expressing GFP-tubulinβ and quantitatively evaluated the microtubule orientations relative to the pavement cell growth axis using original image processing techniques. Our results showed that microtubules kept parallel orientations to the growth axis during pavement cell growth. In addition, we showed that immersion treatment of seed cotyledons in solutions containing tubulin polymerization and depolymerization inhibitors decreased pavement cell complexity. Treatment with oryzalin and colchicine inhibited the symmetric division of guard mother cells.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Integrated Biosciences; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences; The University of Tokyo ; Kashiwanoha; Kashiwa , Chiba , Japan.
authors.forename: Kae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akita
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higaki
authors.forename: Natsumaro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kutsuna
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasezawa
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology*; D018548:Cotyledon / Q000166:cytology*; D008870:Microtubules; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology*
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; DAG, day after germination; DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide; FM4-64, N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(6-(4-(diethylamino)phenyl)hexatrienyl)-pyridinium; GFP, green fluorescent protein; GFP-tubulinβ; ROP, Rho-related GTPase from plants; cell medial axis; cell morphogenesis; confocal laser scanning microscopy; image analysis; microtubule; microtubule orientation; pavement cell; stomata