A kinesin with calponin-homology domain is involved in premitotic nuclear migration

Interaction and cross-talk between microtubules and actin microfilaments are important for numerous processes during plant growth and development, including the control of cell elongation and tissue expansion, but little is known about the molecular components of this interaction. Plant kinesins with the calponin-homology domain (KCH) were recently identified and associated with a putative role in microtubule-microfilament cross-linking. The putative biological role of the rice KCH member OsKCH1 is addressed here using a combined approach with Tos17 kch1 knock-out mutants on the one hand, and a KCH1 overexpression line generated in tobacco BY-2 cells. It is shown that OsKCH1 is expressed in a development and tissue-specific manner in rice and antagonistic cell elongation and division phenotypes as a result of knock-down and overexpression are reported. Further, the dynamic repartitioning of OsKCH1 during the cell cycle is described and it is demonstrated that KCH overexpression delays nuclear positioning and mitosis in BY-2 cells. These findings are discussed with respect to a putative role of KCHs as linkers between actin filaments and microtubules during nuclear positioning.