Handedness in plant cell expansion: a mutant perspective on helical growth

Abstract

Many plant mutants are known that exhibit some degree of helical growth. This ‘twisted’ phenotype has arisen frequently in mutant screens of model organisms, but it is also found in cultivars of ornamental plants, including trees. The phenomenon, in many cases, is based on defects in cell expansion symmetry. Any complete model which explains the anisotropy of plant cell growth must ultimately explain how helical cell expansion comes into existence – and how it is normally avoided. While the mutations observed in model plants mainly point to the microtubule system, additional affected components involve cell wall functions, auxin transport and more. Evaluation of published data suggests a two-way mechanism underlying the helical growth phenomenon: there is, apparently, a microtubular component that determines handedness, but there is also an influence arising in the cell wall that feeds back into the cytoplasm and affects cellular handedness. This idea is supported by recent reports demonstrating the involvement of the cell wall integrity pathway. In addition, there is mounting evidence that calcium is an important relayer of signals relating to the symmetry of cell expansion. These concepts suggest experimental approaches to untangle the phenomenon of helical cell expansion in plant mutants.