Abstract: The precise control of division plane orientation is important for growth and morphogenesis of multicellular organisms. In plants, unlike animal cells that form cleavage furrows, cell division is initiated through the formation of a cell plate, a precursor to the cell wall at a predetermined central zone within the parent cell. The cell plate expands centrifugally during cytokinesis to merge with the predetermined division site on the cell cortex known as the cortical division site (CDS), thereby completing the cell division process. The dynamics of the cytoskeleton, particularly of interphasic cortical microtubules, downstream of several physical and biological factors, play an important role in delineating the future plane of cell division. However, the understanding of how these upstream factors communicate with the microtubules at the cellular level remains limited. Central to unraveling this communication is the investigation of the network of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that regulate microtubule dynamics during cell division plane determination. Two classes of protein families, the IQ67 Domain (IQD) protein family and the TON1 RECRUITING MOTIF (TRM) protein family, have been recently characterized for their similar roles in determining the cell division plane during G2/M phase and in communication of the expanding cell plate with the CDS. Knowledge related to the mechanistic and signaling aspect of both the protein families, however, is largely missing. The interaction of IQD protein family members with the calcium (Ca2+)-CALMODULIN (CaM) signaling relay and of TRMs with PHOSPHATASE (PP2A) presents an intriguing, though unexplored, dimension of their functioning. Exploring the mechanistic aspect of these protein families and their modes of communication with each other will provide interesting insights into the role of Ca2+-CaM signaling and KINASE-PHOSPHATASE-mediated regulation and how these signaling mechanisms are involved in cell division plane determination via regulating microtubule dynamics.

Meeting ID: 946 2798 6190
Passcode: 633767