Origin of cortical microtubules organized at M/G1 interface:: Recruitment of tubulin from phragmoplast to nascent microtubules

The origin of cortical microtubules (CMTs) was investigated in transgenic BY-2 cells stably expressing a GFP (green fluorescent protein) -tubulin fusion protein (BY-GT16). In a previous study, we found that CMTs were initially organized in the perinuclear regions but then elongated to reach the cell cortex where they formed bright spots, and that the appearance of parallel MTs from the bright spots was followed by the appearance of transverse MTs (Kumagai et al., Plant Cell Physiol. 42, 723 - 732, 2001). In this study, we investigated the migration of tubulin to the reorganization sites of CMTs at the M/G(1) interface. After synchronization of the BY-GT16 cells by aphidicolin, the localization of GFP-tubulin was monitored and analyzed by deconvollution microscopy. GFP-tubulin was found to accumulate on the nuclear surface near the cell plate at the final stage of phragmoplast collapse. Subsequently, GFP-tubulin accumulated again on the nuclear surface opposite the cell plate, where nascent MTs elongated to the cell cortex. The significance of these observations on the mode of CMT organization is discussed.