Cytoskeletal discoveries in the plant lineage using the moss Physcomitrella patens.

Abstract

Advances in cell biology have been largely driven by pioneering work in model systems, the majority of which are from one major eukaryotic lineage, the opisthokonts. However, with the explosion of genomic information in many lineages, it has become clear that eukaryotes have incredible diversity in many cellular systems, including the cytoskeleton. By identifying model systems in diverse lineages, it may be possible to begin to understand the evolutionary origins of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Within the plant lineage, cell biological studies in the model moss, Physcomitrella patens, have over the past decade provided key insights into how the cytoskeleton drives cell and tissue morphology. Here, we review P. patens attributes that make it such a rich resource for cytoskeletal cell biological inquiry and highlight recent key findings with regard to intracellular transport, microtubule-actin interactions, and gene discovery that promises for many years to provide new cytoskeletal players.