Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

A Method for Characterizing Embryogenesis in Arabidopsis
Published on: August 4, 2017
QQT proteins colocalize with microtubules and are essential for early embryo development in Arabidopsis
Sylvie Lahmy1, Jocelyne Guilleminot, Anne-Catherine Schmit
1Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes, UMRCNRS 5096, Université de Perpignan, Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan-cedex, France.
Abstract:
During Arabidopsis embryogenesis, the control of division between daughter cells is critical for pattern formation. Two embryo-defective (emb) mutant lines named quatre-quart (qqt) were characterized by forward and reverse genetics. The terminal arrest of qqt1 and qqt2 embryos was at the octant stage, just prior to the round of periclinal divisions that establishes the dermatogen stage . Homozygous embryos of a weaker allele of qqt1 were able to divide further, resulting in aberrant periclinal divisions. These phenotypic analyses support an essential role of the QQT proteins in the correct formation of the tangential divisions. That an important proportion of qqt1 embryos were arrested prior to the octant stage indicated a more general role in cell division. The analysis of QQT1 and QQT2 genes revealed that they belong to a small subgroup of the large family encoding ATP/GTP binding proteins, and are widely conserved among plants, vertebrates and Archaea. We showed that QQT1 and QQT2 proteins interact with each other in a yeast two-hybrid system, and that QQT1 and QQT2 tagged by distinct fluorescent probes colocalize with microtubules during mitosis, in agreement with their potential role in cell division and their mutant phenotype. We propose that QQT1 and QQT2 proteins participate in the organization of microtubules during cell division, and that this function is essential for the correct development of the early embryo.
More Related Videos
09:41Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) to Investigate Arabidopsis thaliana Root Development at a Cell Type-Specific Scale
Published on: May 14, 2020
06:28Preparation of Intact Tissue for Microscopic Analysis of the Endosperm Cell Layer in Developing and Mature Arabidopsis Seeds
Published on: May 16, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)
Cell Signaling in Plants
Rab Proteins
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Gene Regulation During Sporulation
Coat Assembly and GTPases
Coat assembly depends on the local availability of phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs and GTP-binding proteins. Adaptor proteins, which link the coat proteins to the membrane, bind to these PIPs and play a crucial role in controlling...
Protein Transport to the Inner Chloroplast Membrane