Polar development of preprophase bands and cell plates in the Arabidopsis leaf epidermis

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2011.04809.x
• Publication Date: 2011-10-04T16:13:06Z
• Authors: Jessica Regan Lucas; Fred David Sack
• Keywords: Cell Cortex; Interphase; Epidermis (zoology); Cell polarity; Polarity (international relations)

Preprophase bands are belts of cortical microtubules that appear at the end interphase and predict where cell plates will fuse with parental walls during division. Phragmoplasts microtubule-rich arrays orchestrate growth guidance cytokinesis. Descriptions development these often assume non-polar formation, preprophase developing more or less simultaneously around circumference. described as initiating center then expanding evenly outwards until fusion parent walls. We analyzed spatio-temporal both because initial observations array in Arabidopsis leaf epidermis revealed directional variability. Almost all formed a polar fashion, initiation maturation occurring first cortex near inside leaf, later outer cortex. A similar polarity developed phragmoplasts plates, raising possibility polarized division is common plants. Together, findings identify additional features epidermis, thereby provide visually accessible system for identifying new proteins subcellular components involved previously site.