GAMMA-TUBULIN AND MICROTUBULE ORGANIZATION IN PLANTS

In animal cells, microtubule assembly is usually initiated at one spec ialized structure, the centrosome. By contrast in plant cells, microtu bule assembly begins at a variety of locations within the cell. A memb er of the tubulin gene family, gamma-tubulin, is localized to the cent rosome in animal cells and is important in the assembly of microtubule s in vivo. Recent reports have identified gamma-tubulin genes in plant s and have described the complex intracellular distribution of the enc oded polypeptides. Here, Harish Joshi and Barry Palevitz comment upon how this information may help elucidate the organizing principles of t he complex arrays of microtubules in plant cells.