Biomechanical Characterization of Onion Epidermal Cell Walls
[Abstract] Here we describe two experimental protocols to measure the biomechanical properties of primary (growing) plant cell walls, with a focus on analyzing cell wall epidermal strips of onion scales. The first protocol measures cell wall creep (time-dependent irreversible extension) under constant force. Such creep is often mediated by the wall-loosening ...
In vitro Microtubule Binding Assay and Dissociation Constant Estimation
[Abstract] Microtubules (MTs) support an astonishing set of versatile cellular functions ranging from cell division, vesicle transport, and cell and tissue morphogenesis in various organisms. This versatility is in large mediated by MT-associated proteins (MAPs). The neuronal MAP Tau, for example, is stabilizing MTs in axons of the vertebrate nervous system ...
Observation of Chloroplast Movement in Vallisneria
Authors: Yuuki Sakai and
Shingo Takagi,
date: 11/05/2015,
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[Abstract] Chloroplasts accumulate to weak light and escape from strong light. These light-induced responses have been known from the 19th century (Böhm, 1856). Up to now, many scientists have developed different methods to investigate these dynamic phenomena in a variety of plant species including the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a terrestrial ...
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Analysis of Cell Wall Structural Glycoproteins in vitro
[Abstract] Hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) are major protein components in dicot primary cell walls and generally account for more than 10% of the wall dry weight. As essential members of the HRGP superfamily, extensins (EXTs) presumably function in the cell wall by assembling into positively charged protein scaffolds (Cannon et al., 2008) ...
Real-time Analysis of Lateral Root Organogenesis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Peter Marhavý and
Eva Benková,
date: 04/20/2015,
view: 7413,
Q&A: 0
[Abstract] Plants maintain capacity to form new organs such as leaves, flowers, lateral shoots and roots throughout their postembryonic lifetime. Lateral roots (LRs) originate from a few pericycle cells that acquire attributes of founder cells (FCs), undergo series of anticlinal divisions, and give rise to a few short initial cells. After initiation, ...