Reorganization and in vivo dynamics of microtubules during Arabidopsis root hair development

Root hairs emerge from epidermal root cells (trichoblasts) and differentiate by highly localized tip growth. Microtubules (MTs) are essential for establishing and maintaining the growth polarity of root hairs. The current knowledge about the configuration of the MT cytoskeleton during root hair development is largely based on experiments on fixed material, and reorganization and in vivo dynamics of MTs during root hair development is at present unclear. This in vivo study provides new insights into the mechanisms of MT (re)organization during root hair development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Expression of a binding site of the MT-associated protein-4 tagged with green fluorescent protein enabled imaging of MT nucleation, growth, and shortening and revealed distinct MT configurations. Depending on the dynamics of the different MT populations during root hair development, either repeated two-dimensional (x, y, t) or repeated three-dimensional (x, y, z, t) scanning was performed. Furthermore, a new image evaluation tool was developed to reveal important data on MT instability. The data show how MTs reorient after apparent contact with other MTs and support a model for MT alignment based on repeated reorientation of dynamic MT growth.