A Genetic Approach to Understanding Cell Morphogenesis

Szymanski植物细胞具有许多具有特殊功能的细胞类型。人们普遍认为，微管和丝状肌动蛋白细胞骨架是产生具有功能意义的细胞形状所必需的。Szymanski博士建议利用拟南芥叶毛状体的发育来更好地理解细胞形状的控制。毛状体是单细胞的极化表皮细胞。正常的毛状体形态发生是高度调节的，包括微管和肌动蛋白丝细胞骨架的独特要求。毛状体突变体的“扭曲组”特别影响肌动蛋白依赖的细胞形态建成。本研究的长期目标是利用畸变突变体阐明肌动蛋白依赖的细胞形态发生机制。该建议的主要目的是定义毛状体生长过程中发生的细胞重组事件，并确定负责的基因。这个提议的中心假设是，扭曲的突变体定义了一个参与肌动蛋白依赖性细胞组织的基因通路。具体目标1：确定从微管到肌动蛋白依赖的形态发生转变过程中发生的主要细胞骨架和细胞器重组事件的时序和模式。具体目标2：识别，映射，并测量所有的扭曲组突变体的毛状体缺陷。肌动蛋白细胞骨架在发育和环境条件下的重组对植物细胞至关重要。这项研究的结果将提供有关肌动蛋白在活的植物细胞中的体内功能的重要信息。

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.