Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Live Cell Imaging of Microtubule Cytoskeleton and Micromechanical Manipulation of the Arabidopsis Shoot Apical Meristem
Published on: May 23, 2020
NIMA-related kinases regulate directional cell growth and organ development through microtubule function in
Hiroyasu Motose1, Shogo Takatani, Tatsuya Ikeda
1Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan. motose@bio.c.okayama-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
NIMA-related kinase 6 (NEK6) regulates cellular expansion and morphogenesis through microtubule organizaiton in Arabidopsis thaliana. Loss-of-function mutations in NEK6 (nek6/ibo1) cause ectopic outgrowth and microtubule disorganization in epidermal cells. We recently found that NEK6 forms homodimers and heterodimers with NEK4 and NEK5 to destabilize cortical microtubules possibly by direct binding to microtubules and the β-tubulin phosphorylation. Here, we identified a new allele of NEK6 and further analyzed the morphological phenotypes of nek6/ibo1 mutants, along with alleles of nek4 and nek5 mutants. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated that NEK6 is required for the directional growth of roots and hypocotyls, petiole elongation, cell file formation, and trichome morphogenesis. In addition, nek4, nek5, and nek6/ibo1 mutants were hypersensitive to microtubule inhibitors such as propyzamide and taxol. These results suggest that plant NEKs function in directional cell growth and organ development through the regulation of microtubule organization.
More Related Videos
08:31Kinematic Analysis of Cell Division and Expansion: Quantifying the Cellular Basis of Growth and Sampling Developmental Zones in Zea mays Leaves
Published on: December 2, 2016
08:54Imaging Spatial Reorganization of a MAPK Signaling Pathway Using the Tobacco Transient Expression System
Published on: March 20, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)
Microtubule Instability
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Cell Signaling in Plants
Destabilization of Microtubules
Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition