Mutations in actin-related proteins 2 and 3 affect cell shape development in Arabidopsis.

ACTIN-RELATED PROTEINS 2 and 3 form the major subunits of the complex, which is known as an important regulator of actin organization in diverse organisms. Here, we report that two genes, WURM and DISTORTED1, which are important for cell shape control in Arabidopsis, encode the plant and orthologs, respectively. Mutations in these genes result in misdirected expansion of various cell types: trichome expansion is randomized, pavement cells fail to produce lobes, hypocotyl cells curl out of the normal epidermal plane, and root hairs are sinuous. At the subcellular level, cell shape changes are linked to severe filamentous actin aggregation and compromised vacuole fusion. Because all seven subunits of the duanyu372/3 complex are present in plants, our data indicate that this complex may play a pivotal role during plant cell morphogenesis.

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