Title Essential role of a kinesin-like protein in Arabidopsis trichome morphogenesis.
Author Oppenheimer DG, Pollock MA, Vacik J, Szymanski DB, Ericson B, Feldmann K, Marks MD.
Issue Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jun 10;94(12):6261-6.
Abstract Little is known about how cell shape is controlled. We are using the morphogenesis of trichomes (plant hairs) on the plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a model to study how cell shape is controlled. Wild-type Arabidopsis trichomes are large, single epidermal cells with a stalk and three or four branches, whereas in zwichel (zwi) mutants the trichomes have a shortened stalk and only two branches. To further understand the role of the ZWI gene in trichome morphogenesis we have cloned the wild-type ZWICHEL (ZWI) gene by T-DNA tagging, and report here that it encodes a member of the kinesin superfamily of microtubule motor proteins. Kinesin proteins transport diverse cellular materials in a directional manner along microtubules. Kinesin-like proteins are characterized by a highly conserved "head" region that comprises the motor domain, and a nonconserved "tail" region that is thought to participate in recognition and binding of the appropriate cargo.
Link 9177205