About the Cover
One of the long-standing plant cell biology questions is how cortical microtubules might direct the oriented deposition of cellulose microfibrils, which is essential for normal cell wall strength and cell morphogenesis. Zhong et al. (pages 3101-3117) utilize Arabidopsis fibers as a model system to investigate the mechanisms controlling cell wall strength and cellulose microfibril deposition. The authors show that mutation of the FRA1 gene, which encodes a kinesin-like motor protein, causes a dramatic reduction in cell wall strength and an apparent alteration in the orientation of cellulose microfibrils in fiber cells. The identification of the FRA1 kinesin-like protein as an essential player in the oriented deposition of cellulose microfibrils marks an important step toward understanding the mechanisms that underlie the microtubule control of cellulose microfibril order. The cover shows safranin-stained fra1 fiber cells exhibiting birefringent retardance of cell walls under polarized light.
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Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Plant Biologists
