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In eukaryotic cells, organelle and vesicle transport, positioning, and interactions play crucial roles in cytoplasmic organization and function. These processes are governed by intracellular trafficking mechanisms. At the core of that trafficking, the cytoskeleton and directional transport by motor proteins stand out as its key regulators. Plant cell tip growth is a well-studied example of cytoplasm organization by polarization. This polarization, essential for the cell's function, is driven by the cytoskeleton and its associated motors. This review will focus on myosin XI, a molecular motor critical for vesicle trafficking and polarized plant cell growth. We will center our discussion on recent data from the moss Physcomitrium patens and the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. The biochemical properties and structure of myosin XI in various plant species are discussed, highlighting functional conservation across species. We further explore this conservation of myosin XI function in the process of vesicle transport in tip-growing cells. Existing evidence indicates that myosin XI actively organizes actin filaments in tip-growing cells by a mechanism based on vesicle clustering at their tips. A hypothetical model is presented to explain the essential function of myosin XI in polarized plant cell growth based on vesicle clustering at the tip. The review also provides insight into the in vivo localization and dynamics of myosin XI, emphasizing its role in cytosolic calcium regulation, which influences the polymerization of F-actin. Lastly, we touch upon the need for additional research to elucidate the regulation of myosin function.
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Topological Data Analysis Approaches to Uncovering the Timing of Ring Structure Onset in Filamentous Networks
Abstract In developmental biology as well as in other biological systems, emerging structure and organization can be captured using time-series data of protein locations. In analyzing this time-dependent data, it is a common challenge not only to determine whether topological features emerge, but also to identify the timing of their formation. For instance, in most cells, actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins and organize into polymer networks and higher-order structures. Ring channels are examples of such structures that maintain constant diameters over time and play key roles in processes such as cell division, development, and wound healing. Given the limitations in studying interactions of actin with myosin in vivo, we generate time-series data of protein polymer interactions in cells using complex agent-based models. Since the data has a filamentous structure, we propose sampling along the actin filaments and analyzing the topological structure of the resulting point cloud at each time. Building on existing tools from persistent homology, we develop a topological data analysis (TDA) method that assesses effective ring generation in this dynamic data. This method connects topological features through time in a path that corresponds to emergence of organization in the data. In this work, we also propose methods for assessing whether the topological features of interest are significant and thus whether they contribute to the formation of an emerging hole (ring channel) in the simulated protein interactions. In particular, we use the MEDYAN simulation platform to show that this technique can distinguish between the actin cytoskeleton organization resulting from distinct motor protein binding parameters.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1764406
- PAR ID:
- 10253592
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Bulletin of Mathematical Biology
- Volume:
- 83
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0092-8240
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-020-00847-3
