Tip growth of plant cells

We have demonstrated that ARK1 regulates tip growth of root hair cells by limiting the assembly and distribution of endoplasmic microtubules. The ARK1 gene has two homologues in the Arabidopsis genome, ARK2 and ARK3, and my present results show that ARK2 is involved in cell morphogenesis in the root. I further reveal that a NIMA-related protein kinase, NEK6, binds to the ARK family proteins and has pleiotropic effects upon epidermal cell morphogenesis, suggesting that NEK6 is involved in cell morphogenesis in Arabidopsis via microtubule functions associated with these armadillo repeat kinesins.

シロイヌナズナ形態形成異常突然変異体の解析から、表層細胞の先端成長に関与する新奇キネシンファミリー ARK 及び NEK6 キナーゼを同定した。ARK1 は根毛の先端成長を、ARK2 は根の表層細胞列のねじれを、NEK6 は様々な器官の表層細胞形体形成を、それぞれ調節する因子だった。