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JST Press Release

Nov. 12, 2013
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666
URL http://www.jst.go.jp/EN/index.html

A new system for plant size enhancement and regulation; artificial speed control of cytoplasmic streaming

Cytoplasmic streaming is active transport occurring in various plant cells. We artificially controlled cytoplasmic streaming velocity by replacing the motor domains of myosin XI, the motive force for cytoplasmic streaming, with those of the fastest Chara myosin XI and slower Human myosin V. The plant sizes of the transgenic Arabidopsis expressing high and low-speed chimeric myosin XI were larger and smaller, respectively. Because cytoplasmic streaming is a common system for intracellular transport in plants, our system could have applications in artificial size control in plants.

Researcher Information

JST PRESTO
Research Area : "Creation of Basic Technology for Improved Bioenergy Production through Functional Analysis and Regulation of Algae and Other Aquatic Microorganisms"
Research Theme : " Development of plant growth promoting system using the fastest motor Chara myosin"

Journal Information

Motoki Tominaga, Atsushi Kimura, Etsuo Yokota, Takeshi Haraguchi, Teruo Shimmen, Keiichi Yamamoto, Akihiko Nakano, and Kohji Ito
“Cytoplasmic Streaming Velocity as a Plant Size Determinant”
Developmental Cell, Published online 11th November 2013
doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.10.005

Contact

[About Research]
Motoki Tominaga, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist, Live Cell Molecular Imaging Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics
E-mail:
URL: http://www.riken.jp/en/research/labs/rap/extr_photonics/live_cell_mol_img/
URL: http://www.biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/hasseipl/HP/index.html

[About Program]
Masashi Furukawa, Fumiharu Kimura,
Green Science Group, Department of Innovation Research, JST
E-mail:

Japanese


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