| Abstract Detail
Cell biology Le, Phi-Yen [1]. Relationship between chloroplast movement and microtubule orientation in Arabidopsis thailiana mesophyll cells. Intracellular movement of organelles is an indispensable event for many cellular functions. In plants, chloroplast relocation movement plays an essential role in optimizing photosynthesis. Chloroplast movement is believed to be driven mainly by the actin cytoskeleton, but the participation of microtubules is currently under debate. Based on some early observations from our group, I hypothesized that microtubules also play a role in chloroplast movement. To test this hypothesis, I used confocal microscopy to image microtubules and chloroplasts in Arabidopsis leaves expressing GFP-TUBULIN6 and GFP-EB1. So far, I found that: (1) chloroplasts move in linear paths corresponding to the orientation of surround microtubule bundles; (2) when a growing microtubule plus-end bumps into a chloroplast, the microtubule will often make a turn or grow in a new direction. These preliminary results support our hypothesis, and also revealed the surprising observation that chloroplasts can influence microtubule organization and dynamics. To assess this possible chloroplast-microtubule feedback mechanism, my future experiments will assess the effects of cytoskeletal inhibitors on chloroplast movement and microtubule organization.
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1 - University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biology, 112 Science Place, Rm. 134, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2, Canada
Keywords:
chloroplast movement
microtubule.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PCL008
Abstract ID:948
Candidate for Awards:None |
