K. Fujino et al., REORIENTATION OF CORTICAL MICROTUBULES IN THE SUB-APICAL REGION DURING TUBERIZATION IN SINGLE-NODE STEM SEGMENTS OF POTATO IN CULTURE, Plant and Cell Physiology, 36(5), 1995, pp. 891-895
The initial events in tuberization were examined in single-node stem s
egments of potato, in which the tuberization was easily regulated in c
ulture. The addition of 8% sucrose to the culture medium caused the ce
ssation of elongation of lateral shoots and the swelling of the sub-ap
ical region of each shoot. Swelling was first induced by lateral cell
expansion, which was followed by periclinal cell division. The divided
cells then expanded laterally. The alteration in the direction of gro
wth was accompanied by the reorientation of arrays of cortical microtu
bules (MTs), which was monitored by immunofluorescence microscopy. Cel
ls in the sub-apical region of elongating shoots had prominent transve
rse arrays of MTs. The MTs in swelling cells were oriented longitudina
lly with respect to the axis of the shoot. Finally, the arrays of MTs
became completely disorganized. By contrast, the elongation of lateral
shoots continued in GA(3)-treated segments and the cells in the sub-a
pical region of such shoots retained conspicuous transverse arrays of
MTs during culture, even in the presence of a high concentration (8%)
of sucrose.