PCaP2 regulates nuclear positioning in growing Arabidopsis thaliana root hairs by modulating filamentous actin organization

Plant Cell Rep. 2015 Aug;34(8):1317-30. doi: 10.1007/s00299-015-1789-6. Epub 2015 May 1.

Abstract

PCaP2 plays a key role in maintaining the nucleus at a relatively fixed distance from the apex during root hair growth by modulating actin filaments. During root hair growth, the nucleus localizes at a relatively fixed distance from the apex. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the position of the nucleus is mainly dependent on the configuration of microfilaments (filamentous actin). However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of actin dynamics and organization for nuclear positioning are largely unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated that plasma membrane-associated Ca(2+) binding protein 2 (PCaP2) influences the position of the nucleus during root hair growth. Abnormal expression of PCaP2 in pcap2 and PCaP2 over-expression plants led to the disorganization of actin filaments, rather than microtubules, in the apex and sub-apical regions of root hairs, which resulted in aberrant root hair growth patterns and misplaced nuclei. Analyses using a PCaP2 mutant protein revealed that actin-severing activity is essential for the function of PCaP2 in root hairs. We demonstrated that PCaP2 plays a key role in maintaining nuclear position in growing root hairs by modulating actin filaments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / physiology*
  • Arabidopsis / growth & development*
  • Arabidopsis / physiology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / physiology*
  • Cell Nucleus / physiology*
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / physiology*
  • Plant Root Cap / growth & development
  • Plant Root Cap / physiology
  • Plant Roots / growth & development*
  • Plant Roots / physiology

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • MAP18 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins