Plant Cell Monogr (9)
D.P.S. Verma and Z. Hong: Cell Division Control in Plants
DOI 10.1007/7089_2007_126/Published online: 25 July 2007
©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007
Mitotic Spindle Assembly and Function
J. Christian Ambrose · Richard Cyr ()
Department of Biology, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences,
Integrative Biosciences Graduate Degree Program, Plant Physiology Program,
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
[email protected]
AbstractThe ability of plant mitotic spindles to form and function with robust ac-
curacy, in the absence of centrosomes, underscores the importance and prevalence of
centrosome-independent pathways of spindle assembly. This work includes overviews of
plant mitotic spindle structure and formation, microtubule-associated proteins involved
in plant mitosis, and the multiple pathways used by plants to promote robust spindle
assembly and function.
1
Introduction
Plant growth can be described as increases in cell numbers and cell size. Since
plant cells are encased within rigid cell walls and “cemented” together, the
timing, placement and direction of cell division and expansion are crucial in
specifying proper tissue and organ morphogenesis. This work focuses on cell
division from the point of view of the organization and functioning of the
microtubule (MT) spindle apparatus and its associated proteins.
During cell division, partitioning of replicated chromosomes into daugh-
ter cells is mediated by the mitotic spindle apparatus, an array of MTs and
microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Herein, we first describe the plant
mitotic spindle during its different stages of development, follow with a sur-
vey of known MAPs involved in plant spindle function, and end with a dis-
cussion of the various pathways of spindle formation and function and how
these pathways work both redundantly and synergistically in extant plants.
For other reviews on various aspects of plant mitosis, see (Baskin and Cande
1990; Mineyuki 1999; Lloyd and Chan 2006).
2
Plant Mitotic Spindle Formation, Function and Morphology
2.1
General Description of the Mitotic Spindle
Although a number of variations exist between different eukaryotic king-
doms, the mitotic apparatus in its simplest form is comprised of two opposing