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Microtubules and the shape of plant cells
Clive Lloyd, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology,
John Innes Centre, NORWICH NR4 7UH, UK
Microtubules provide the tracks that membrane-bound
cellulose synthases follow as they are propelled along the
membrane by the extrusion of microfibrils. Ultimately, it
is the direction in which these microfibrils are aligned
that determines the direction in which the cell will
expand. Over recent years, we have come to appreciate that
the microtubules are far from the static templates
conceived in early models. I will discuss recent data on
the surprisingly dynamic nature of the microtubule
cytoskeleton as an integral structure, its influence on the
organization of cell wall microfibrils and the role of
microtubule-associated proteins as modulators.