Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

06:28
Preparation of Intact Tissue for Microscopic Analysis of the Endosperm Cell Layer in Developing and Mature Arabidopsis Seeds
Published on: May 16, 2025
The nuclear envelope in the plant cell cycle: structure, function and regulation.
D E Evans1, M Shvedunova, K Graumann
1School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
Annals of Botany
|January 18, 2011
Summary
Plant and animal cell cycles both require nuclear envelope dynamics. However, significant differences in protein composition and function highlight the need for further research into plant nuclear envelope breakdown and reformation mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Higher plants, like animals, require controlled nuclear envelope breakdown and reformation for cell cycle progression.
- Despite apparent similarities, plant and animal nuclear envelopes exhibit significant differences in protein composition and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of nuclear envelope breakdown and reformation in plants.
- To enhance understanding of nuclear envelope component functions during the plant cell cycle.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of integral and associated components of the plant nuclear envelope.
- Analysis of protein interactions at the nuclear envelope during interphase and cell division.
Main Results:
- Protein interactions at the nuclear envelope are crucial for various cellular processes in plants.
- The nuclear envelope plays a vital role in both structural and regulatory events in plant cells.
Conclusions:
- Further dissection of plant nuclear envelope dynamics is essential.
- A deeper understanding of nuclear envelope component functions during the cell cycle is needed for plant biology.
Related Concept Videos
The Phragmoplast
Cell division is essential for organismal growth and development. In animal cells, the central spindle and its associated proteins form the midbody, a structure that has an essential role in cytokinesis. In plants, the central spindle, along with the microtubules, actin, and other cell components, matures into the phragmoplast, which is necessary for cytokinesis. Unlike the stationary midbody, the phragmoplast expands centrifugally, eventually leading to the formation of the new cell wall.
The...
The...
The Phragmoplast
Cell division is essential for organismal growth and development. In animal cells, the central spindle and its associated proteins form the midbody, a structure that has an essential role in cytokinesis. In plants, the central spindle, along with the microtubules, actin, and other cell components, matures into the phragmoplast, which is necessary for cytokinesis. Unlike the stationary midbody, the phragmoplast expands centrifugally, eventually leading to the formation of the new cell wall.
The...
The...
The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle regulation directs how a cell proceeds from one phase to the next and begins mitosis. The cell cycle control system includes intracellular regulatory molecules and external triggers. They provide "stop" or "advance" signals and operate at specific cell cycle stages termed checkpoints to ensure that a particular process is completed before the cell advances to the next phase.
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
Animal and Plant Cell Structure
Animal and plant cells not only differ in their structure, function, and mode of nutrition but also in how they reproduce, specialize, and organize into complex structures.
Cell Division
Though both plant and animal cells divide by mitosis (for non-gametic cells) and meiosis (for gametic cells), they differ in the specifics of this process. Unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes — an organelle responsible for organizing the spindle fibers and segregating the chromosomes during cell...
Cell Division
Though both plant and animal cells divide by mitosis (for non-gametic cells) and meiosis (for gametic cells), they differ in the specifics of this process. Unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes — an organelle responsible for organizing the spindle fibers and segregating the chromosomes during cell...

