TELOPHASE INTERPHASE TRANSITION IN TAXOL-TREATED TRITICUM ROOT-CELLS - CORTICAL MICROTUBULES APPEAR WITHOUT THE PRIOR PRESENCE OF A RADIAL PERINUCLEAR ARRAY

Taxol stabilizes phragmoplast microtubules (Mrs) in cytokinetic root c ells of Triticum, causing a delay in the rate of cytokinesis. As a res ult, the daughter nuclei acquire interphase appearance in mid- to late -cytokinetic taxol-affected cells much earlier than in control cells. Cortical Mts in such cells appear directly in the cell cortex, without the prior organization of a radial perinuclear Mt array as in control cells. These observations suggest that: (a) Whether perinuclear Mt as sembly occurs or not in post-telophase cells is a matter of timing bet ween the nuclear cycle and cytokinesis. (b) Mt organizing activity on the daughter nuclei surface is temporal. (c) Cortical Mts can be in si tu assembled in the cortex of post-telophase cells of flowering plants without any participation of perinuclear Mts.