Actin cytoskeleton, plant growth and development in Arabidopsis root hair mutant der1-3

The DER1 (deformed root hairs1) locus encodes a major vegetative actin (ACTIN2) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutations in DER1 lead to impaired root hair development. However, the role of this gene in overall plant development has not been defined.

Using plant phenotyping, immunofluorescence localization, vital staining and live cell imaging, Vaškebová et al. characterise plant growth and organization of the actin cytoskeleton in cells of cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots of der1-3 mutant. They demonstrate a pleiotropic phenotype of this mutant depending on the actin cytoskeleton organisation and deregulation of cell division plane orientation, resulting in wavy root growth pattern.