CMT 2D: Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant model organism for the neuronal microtubul

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Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant model organism for the neuronal microtubule

cytoskeleton?

Gardiner J, Marc J.

The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia.

Abstract

The microtubule cytoskeleton is an important component of both neuronal cells

and plant cells. While there are large differences in the function of

microtubules between the two groups of organisms, for example plants coordinate

the ordered deposition of cellulose through the microtubule cytoskeleton, there

are also some notable similarities.

It is suggested that Arabidopsis thaliana, with its superior availability of

knockout lines, may be a suitable model organism for some aspects of the

neuronal microtubule cytoskeleton. Some cellular processes that involve the

neuronal microtubule cytoskeleton including neurotransmitter signalling and

neurotrophic support may have homologous processes in plant cells. A number of

microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) are conserved, including katanin, EB1,

CLASP, spastin, gephyrin, CRIPT, Atlastin/RHD3, and ELP3.

As a demonstration of the usefulness of a plant model system for neuronal

biology, an analysis of plant tubulin-binding proteins was used to show that

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D and spinal muscular atrophy may be due to

microtubule dysfunction and suggest that indeed the plant microtubule

cytoskeleton may be particularly similar to that of motor neurons as both are

heavily reliant upon motor proteins.