Mutations in actin-related proteins 2 and 3 affect cell shape development in Arabidopsis.

Jaideep Mathur, Neeta Mathur, Birgit Kernebeck, Martin Hülskamp

The Plant cell 2003 Jul

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ACTIN-RELATED PROTEINS 2 and 3 form the major subunits of the ARP2/3 complex, which is known as an important regulator of actin organization in diverse organisms. Here, we report that two genes, WURM and DISTORTED1, which are important for cell shape control in Arabidopsis, encode the plant ARP2 and ARP3 orthologs, respectively. Mutations in these genes result in misdirected expansion of various cell types: trichome expansion is randomized, pavement cells fail to produce lobes, hypocotyl cells curl out of the normal epidermal plane, and root hairs are sinuous. At the subcellular level, cell shape changes are linked to severe filamentous actin aggregation and compromised vacuole fusion. Because all seven subunits of the ARP2/3 complex are present in plants, our data indicate that this complex may play a pivotal role during plant cell morphogenesis.

Citation

Jaideep Mathur, Neeta Mathur, Birgit Kernebeck, Martin Hülskamp. Mutations in actin-related proteins 2 and 3 affect cell shape development in Arabidopsis. The Plant cell. 2003 Jul;15(7):1632-45