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Localization of a 170 kDa myosin heavy chain in plant cells

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Summary

A polyclonal antibody directed against a 170 kDa myosin heavy chain from lily pollen tubes was employed to (a) assess the cellular distribution of the polypeptide using immunofluorescence methods, and (b) ascertain if similar polypeptides are present in pollen tubes and somatic cells of other species. Fluorescence is associated with particles of various size as well as an amorphous component, and is concentrated in the apical cytoplasm of lily and tobacco pollen tubes. Apical fluorescence is more extensive in lily than in tobacco, which may be related to different streaming patterns and apical zonation seen at the ultrastructural level. In suspension cells of tobacco andArabidopsis, fluorescence is concentrated around the nuclei. Dual localizations indicate that anti-myosin fluorescence may be associated with the presence of actin. Little or no staining was seen in controls consisting of either pre-immune serum or mono-specific IgG that had been preadsorbed with the 170 kDa polypeptide. Immunoblots show that a 170 kDa immunoreactive polypeptide is present in pollen tubes of tobacco andTradescantia virginiana in addition to lily, and in suspension culture cells of tobacco andArabidopsis and extracts of wholeArabidopsis seedlings. Our results show that a conserved 170 kDa myosin heavy chain is present in a variety of monocot and dicot cells. They are also consistent with the presence of multiple myosins in plants in general and pollen tubes in particular.

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Abbreviations

BSA:

bovine serum albumin

IgG:

immunoglobulin G

Mf:

microfilament

Mt:

microtubule

PBS:

phosphate-buffered saline

PME:

50 mM Pipes, 5mM EGTA

2mM:

MgSO4, pH6.9.

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Author notes

  1. E. Yokota & T. Shimmen

    Present address: Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Himeji Institute of Technology, Harima Science Park City, Hyogo, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Georgia, 30602-7271, Athens, GA, USA

    E. Yokota, A. R. McDonald, B. Liu, T. Shimmen & B. A. Palevitz

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  1. E. Yokota
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  2. A. R. McDonald
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  3. B. Liu
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  4. T. Shimmen
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  5. B. A. Palevitz
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Yokota, E., McDonald, A.R., Liu, B. et al. Localization of a 170 kDa myosin heavy chain in plant cells. Protoplasma 185, 178–187 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01272858

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01272858

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