This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data All Versions of this Article: 20/3/589    most recent tpc.107.055756v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yamaoka, S. Articles by Leaver, C. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yamaoka, S. Articles by Leaver, C. J. Agricola Articles by Yamaoka, S. Articles by Leaver, C. J.

EMB2473/MIRO1, an Arabidopsis Miro GTPase, Is Required for Embryogenesis and Influences Mitochondrial Morphology in Pollen^[W]

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom

² Address correspondence to chris.leaver{at}plants.ox.ac.uk.

The regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, subcellular distribution, morphology, and metabolism are essential for all aspects of plant growth and development. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are still unclear. Here, we describe an analysis of the three Arabidopsis thaliana orthologs of the evolutionarily conserved Miro GTPases. Two of the genes, MIRO1 and MIRO2, are transcribed ubiquitously throughout the plant tissues, and their gene products localize to mitochondria via their C-terminal transmembrane domains. While insertional mutations in the MIRO2 gene do not have any visible impact on plant development, an insertional mutation in the MIRO1 gene is lethal during embryogenesis at the zygote to four-terminal-cell embryo stage. It also substantially impairs pollen germination and tube growth. Laser confocal and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the miro1 mutant pollen exhibits abnormally enlarged or tube-like mitochondrial morphology, leading to the disruption of continuous streaming of mitochondria in the growing pollen tube. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial morphology is influenced by MIRO1 and plays a vital role during embryogenesis and pollen tube growth.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Fujii and K. Toriyama Genome Barriers between Nuclei and Mitochondria Exemplified by Cytoplasmic Male Sterility Plant Cell Physiol., October 1, 2008; 49(10): 1484 - 1494. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]