Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

A Robotic Platform for High-throughput Protoplast Isolation and Transformation
Published on: September 27, 2016
Vacuolar and cytoskeletal dynamics during elicitor-induced programmed cell death in tobacco BY-2 cells
Takumi Higaki1, Yasuhiro Kadota, Tatsuaki Goh
1Department of Integrated Biosciences; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences; The University of Tokyo; Kashiwanoha Kashiwa, Chiba Japan.
Abstract:
Responses of plant cells to environmental stresses often involve morphological changes, differentiation and redistribution of various organelles and cytoskeletal network. Tobacco BY-2 cells provide excellent model system for in vivo imaging of these intracellular events. Treatment of the cell cycle-synchronized BY-2 cells with a proteinaceous oomycete elicitor, cryptogein, induces highly synchronous programmed cell death (PCD) and provide a model system to characterize vacuolar and cytoskeletal dynamics during the PCD. Sequential observation revealed dynamic reorganization of the vacuole and actin microfilaments during the execution of the PCD. We further characterized the effects cryptogein on mitotic microtubule organization in cell cycle-synchronized cells. Cryptogein treatment at S phase inhibited formation of the preprophase band, a cortical microtubule band that predicts the cell division site. Cortical microtubules kept their random orientation till their disruption that gradually occurred during the execution of the PCD twelve hours after the cryptogein treatment. Possible molecular mechanisms and physiological roles of the dynamic behavior of the organelles and cytoskeletal network in the pathogenic signal-induced PCD are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Cell Death
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the 20th century...
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy
Cellular Injury IlI: Cellular Death
Autophagic Cell Death
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
Apoptosis
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

