The Plant Cytoskeleton
Plant cells house highly dynamic cytoskeletal networks of microtubules and actin microfilaments. They constantly undergo remodeling to fulfill their roles in supporting cell division, enlargement, and differentiation. Following early studies on structural
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Series Editor J. Harada, Davis, California, USA
For other titles published in this series, go to www.springer.com/series/8047
Bo Liu Editor
The Plant Cytoskeleton
Editor Bo Liu Department of Plant Biology University of California 1 Shields Avenue Davis, CA 95616, USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-0986-2 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-0987-9 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0987-9 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
This book is blessed with 14 wonderful chapters aimed at summarizing in part the current knowledge on the structure and function of plant microtubules and actin filaments. Since the initial discovery of microtubules in plant cells in 1963 and the visualization of green algal actin filaments in 1974, their dynamic behaviors and their roles in specific cellular functions have been embraced one after another. While plant cell biologists continue to be excited by the beautiful cytoskeletal network in plant cells, their understanding of the function behind the network has been greatly advanced by discoveries of novel proteins that interact with the network. Recent progress has benefited from technological advances in areas like live cell imaging, genetic screening, and the tools of genomics and proteomics. In this book, the first six chapters visit the molecular basis of the plant cytoskeleton. Since the first plant genome was sequenced, the number of genes encoding cytoskeletal proteins has stunned us. From isolating actin and tubulin genes to uncovering those encoding myosins and kinesins, plant biologists have made tremendous progress in the past decade or so. Nineteen years ago when microtubuletranslocating activities were first demonstrated in isolated phragmoplasts, no one could have predicted that the little Arabidopsis plant would have more microtubulebased motor kinesins than are encoded in the human genome. In the post-genomic era, new avenues have opened and are leading to explosive discoveries made by mining sequenced genomes and characterizing the functions of proteins encoded by novel cytoskeletal genes. Undoubtedly, characterizing the proteins that interact with the plant cytoskeletal network becomes a task that is integral for our
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