Li Xue-Bao, Fan Xiao-Ping, Wang Xiu-Lan, Cai Lin, Yang Wei-Cai
College of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China.
Plant Cell. 2005 Mar;17(3):859-75. doi: 10.1105/tpc.104.029629. Epub 2005 Feb 18.
Single-celled cotton fiber (Gossypium hirsutum) provides a unique experimental system to study cell elongation. To investigate the role of the actin cytoskeleton during fiber development, 15 G. hirsutum ACTIN (GhACT) cDNA clones were characterized. RNA gel blot and real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that GhACT genes are differentially expressed in different tissues and can be classified into four groups. One group, represented by GhACT1, is expressed predominantly in fiber cells and was studied in detail. A 0.8-kb GhACT1 promoter sufficient to confirm its fiber-specific expression was identified. RNA interference of GhACT1 caused significant reduction of its mRNA and protein levels and disrupted the actin cytoskeleton network in fibers. No defined actin network was observed in these fibers and, consequently, fiber elongation was inhibited. Our results suggested that GhACT1 plays an important role in fiber elongation but not fiber initiation.
单细胞棉纤维(陆地棉)为研究细胞伸长提供了一个独特的实验系统。为了探究肌动蛋白细胞骨架在纤维发育过程中的作用,对15个陆地棉肌动蛋白(GhACT)cDNA克隆进行了表征。RNA凝胶印迹和实时RT-PCR分析表明,GhACT基因在不同组织中差异表达,可分为四组。以GhACT1为代表的一组主要在纤维细胞中表达,并进行了详细研究。鉴定出一个足以证实其纤维特异性表达的0.8 kb GhACT1启动子。GhACT1的RNA干扰导致其mRNA和蛋白质水平显著降低,并破坏了纤维中的肌动蛋白细胞骨架网络。在这些纤维中未观察到明确的肌动蛋白网络,因此纤维伸长受到抑制。我们的结果表明,GhACT1在纤维伸长中起重要作用,但在纤维起始中不起作用。