A Genetic Approach to Understanding Cell Morphogenesis

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0110817SzymanskiPlant cells have many cell types with specialized functions. It is generally accepted that the microtubule and filamentous actin cytoskeletons are required to generate the cell shapes that have functional significance. Dr. Szymanski is proposing to use Arabidopsis leaf trichome development to better understand cell shape control. Trichomes are unicellular, polarized epidermal cells. Normal trichome morphogenesis is highly regulated and includes unique requirements for both the microtubule and actin-filament cytoskeletons. The "distorted group" of trichome mutants are specifically affected in actin-dependent cellular morphogenesis. The long-term goal of the research is to use the distorted mutants to elucidate the mechanisms of actin-dependent cell morphogenesis. The primary objective of this proposal is to define the cellular reorganization events that occur during trichome growth, and identify the responsible genes. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that the distorted mutants define a pathway of genes that are involved in actin-dependent cellular organization. The plan is to test the central hypothesis by pursuing the following specific aims:Specific Aim 1: To determine the chronology and pattern of major cytoskeletal and organelle reorganization events that occur during the transition from microtubule to actin-dependent morphogenesis. Specific aim 2: To identify, map, and measure the trichome defects of all of the distorted group mutants. Reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in response to developmental and environmental cues is fundamentally important to plant cells. Results from this research will provide important information about the in vivo function of actin in living plant cells.