Investigation of ROP GTPase Activity and Cytoskeleton Dynamics During Tip Growth in Root Hairs and Pollen Tubes

Abstract

Pollen tubes and root hairs are typical tip-growing cells and are employed as model systems to study plant cell polarity. Previous studies have shown that the Rho family ROP GTPase plays a critical role in the regulation of pollen tube and root hair growth. Periodically, activated ROP GTPase coordinates with the tip-focused calcium gradient, to regulate actin dynamics and vesicle trafficking. Moreover, microtubules are also involved in organelle movement and growth directionality. Here, we describe methods for analyzing the spatiotemporal localization and activity of ROP, cortical microtubule organization, and F-actin dynamics in pollen tubes and/or root hairs.

Keywords: Active ROPs; Arabidopsis thaliana; Cytoskeleton; Pollen tubes; Root hairs; Spinning disc confocal microscopy.