OsKinesin-13A is an active microtubule depolymerase involved in glume length regulation via affecting cell elongation.

Grain size is an important trait influencing both the yield and quality of rice and its major determinant is glume size. However, how glume size is regulated remains largely unknown. Here, we report the characterization of OsKinesin-13A, which regulates cell elongation and glume length in rice. The mutant of OsKinesin-13A, sar1, displayed length reduction in grains and other organs including internodes, leaves and roots. The grain phenotype in sar1 was directly caused by reduction in glume length, which in turn restricted caryopsis size. Histological results revealed that length decrease in sar1 organs resulted from abnormalities in cell elongation. The orientation of cellulose microfibrils was defective in sar1. Consistently, sar1 showed reduced transverse orientation of cortical microtubules. Further observations demonstrated that microtubule turnover was decreased in sar1. OsKinesin-13A was shown to be an active microtubule depolymerase and mainly distributed on vesicles derived from the Golgi apparatus and destined for the cell surface. Thus, our results suggest that OsKinesin-13A utilizes its microtubule depolymerization activity to promote microtubule turnover, which may not only influence transverse orientation of cortical microtubules but also facilitate vesicle transport from the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface, and thus affects cellulose microfibril orientation and cell elongation.

ARP2/3 complex-mediated actin dynamics is required for hydrogen peroxide-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis.

Multiple cellular events like dynamic actin reorganization and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) production were demonstrated to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure. However, the relationship between them as well as the underlying mechanisms remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that H(2)O(2) generation is indispensable for ABA induction of actin reorganization in guard cells of Arabidopsis that requires the presence of ARP2/3 complex. H(2)O(2) -induced stomatal closure was delayed in the mutants of arpc4 and arpc5, and the rate of actin reorganization was slowed down in arpc4 and arpc5 in response to H(2)O(2), suggesting that ARP2/3-mediated actin nucleation is required for H(2)O(2) -induced actin cytoskeleton remodelling. Furthermore, the expression of H(2)O(2) biosynthetic related gene AtrbohD and the accumulation of H(2)O(2) was delayed in response to ABA in arpc4 and arpc5, demonstrating that misregulated actin dynamics affects H(2)O(2) production upon ABA treatment. These results support a possible causal relation between the production of H(2)O(2) and actin dynamics in ABA-mediated guard cell signalling: ABA triggers H(2)O(2) generation that causes the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton partially mediated by ARP2/3 complex, and ARP2/3 complex-mediated actin dynamics may feedback regulate H(2)O(2) production.

Overexpression of a profilin (GhPFN2) promotes the progression of developmental phases in cotton fibers.

Cotton fiber development at the stages of elongation and secondary wall synthesis determines the traits of fiber length and strength. To date, the mechanisms controlling the progression of these two phases remain elusive. In this work, the function of a fiber-preferential actin-binding protein (GhPFN2) was characterized by cytological and molecular studies on the fibers of transgenic green-colored cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) through three successive generations. Overexpression of GhPFN2 caused pre-terminated cell elongation, resulting in a marked decrease in the length of mature fibers. Cytoskeleton staining and quantitative assay revealed that thicker and more abundant F-actin bundles formed during the elongation stage in GhPFN2-overexpressing fibers. Accompanying this alteration, the developmental reorientation of transverse microtubules to the oblique direction was advanced by 2 d at the period of transition from elongation to secondary wall deposition. Birefringence and reverse transcription-PCR analyses showed that earlier onset of secondary wall synthesis occurred in parallel. These data demonstrate that formation of the higher actin structure plays a determinant role in the progression of developmental phases in cotton fibers, and that GhPFN2 acts as a critical modulator in this process. Such a function of the actin cytoskeleton in cell phase conversion may be common to other secondary wall-containing plant cells.