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First published online 27 November 2007
doi: 10.1242/jcs.024950

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CLASP localizes in two discrete patterns on cortical microtubules and is required for cell morphogenesis and cell division in Arabidopsis

Viktor Kirik^1,2,*,, Ullrich Herrmann^1,*, Chaithanyarani Parupalli³, John C. Sedbrook³, David W. Ehrhardt^2, and Martin Hülskamp^1,

¹ University of Cologne, Botanical Institute III, Gyrhofstr. 15, 50931 Cologne, Germany
² Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
³ Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4120, Normal, IL 61790, USA

Author for correspondence (e-mail: vkirik{at}stanford.edu)

Accepted 20 November 2007

In animals and yeast, CLASP proteins are microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPS) involved in the regulation of microtubule plus-end dynamics and stabilization. Here we show that mutations in the Arabidopsis CLASP homolog result in various plant growth reductions, cell form defects and reduced mitotic activity. Analysis of Arabidopsis plants that carry a YFP:AtCLASP fusion construct regulated by the AtCLASP native promoter showed similarities to the described localization of the animal CLASP proteins, but also prominent differences including punctate and preferential localization along cortical microtubules. Colocalization studies of YFP:AtCLASP and CFP:EB1b also showed that AtCLASP is enriched at the plus ends of microtubules where it localizes behind the AtEB1b protein. Moreover, AtCLASP overexpression causes abnormal cortical microtubule bundling and array organization. Cortical microtubule arrays have evolved to be prominent in plants, and our findings suggest that plant CLASP proteins may have adopted specific functions in regulating cortical microtubule properties and cell growth.

Key words: CLASP, EB1, Microtubule, Arabidopsis

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